NEGROS OCCIDENTAL (PIA) –- A total of 65 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) from Escalate City received a total of 26 hectares of land through the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) – North.

Thirty-three ARBs from Barangays Tamlang and Mabini received their Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) for landholdings previously owned by Gloria dela Paz/Philippine National Bank, Ernesto Treyes and Abelardo Bantug for 6.5734, 3.7549 and 0.8857 hectares respectively.

In Barangay Dian-ay, eight ARBs received their CLOAs for 5.7861 hectares of land previously owned by Benito Geroldo.

The 10.0013 hectare-land holding formerly owned by Belen Manhuyod was distributed through CLOAs to 24 ARBS, still in Barangay Dian-ay.

Municipal agrarian reform program officer (MARPO) Nilma Rosas assured the ARBs with support services from DAR as new landowners warning them not to engage in any form of lease contract.

“Your years of hard work has finally paid off as you now become the new landowners of the land that has been awarded to you by the government through DAR,” Rosas said.

DAR, in its mandate, public and private agricultural landholdings are acquired by the government to be distributed to tenants, farmers, farmworkers, and/or other tillers who are qualified to become ARBs, in the form of CLOAs covering one contiguous tract or several parcels of land accumulated up to a maximum of 3 hectares per ARB.

This is anchored to the agency’s aim to provide lands to landless farmers and farmworkers, guarantee the farmers' land security, deliver social equity and provide them with the necessary productive resources needed to ensure their economic viability and productivity. *(LTP/EAD-PI6 Negros Occidental)