DAVAO CITY (PIA) -- More than 700 farmers who tilled their parcel of agricultural properties in Davao Region finally received their long-awaited individual title to their lands under the Project Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT).

The ceremonial awarding of Electronic Titles (E-Titles) was held today, July 7, at the Enclaves in Davao City. 

During the event a total of 990 E-Titles were awarded to 789 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) in Davao Region covering an area of 1,207 hectares.

One of the awardees was Rogelio Alicaway, who was finally given a title to a 11,000 square meter farmland in New Corella, Davao del Norte.

“Dako kaayo among pangandoy na maka-angkon ug sarilin titulo kay ako taud-taud mi na wala miy sariling titulo sa yuta (This is our big dream to have our own title, for a long we do not have our own title to the land),” Alicaway said of the land planted to bananas and kalamansi.

“Nalipay mi na niabot na jud ang panahon na ang yuta na among gi-ugmad, amoa na. gihatag mi Nawala pa mi nakaimpas gihatag niya (We are very happy that the time has come that the land we had worked on it is ours. We have not yet fully paid for it, it was given to us),” Azures said.

Azures recalled that group composed of 184 beneficiaries started to apply for the land 23 years ago.

Alicaway and Azures are ARBs who benefited from Department of Agrarian Reform’s Project SPLIT. This is a project of DAR,  through the World Bank Funding, that involves subdividing Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP)- awarded lands with Collective Certificates of Land Ownership Awards (CCLOA) into individual land titles.

Project SPLIT is designed to stabilize the property right of the agrarian reform beneficiaries thus helping improve land tenure security, productivity and income.

“Sa ilalim ng mga batas agraryo ang bawat magsasaka ay may utang na may katumbas na halaga ng lupang ibinigay sa kanila kailangan nilang bayaran ito sa hindi hihigit na 30 taon, dagdag na anim porsyentong interest bago mapasa-kanila ang lupa. Panahon na para makalaya sila sa pagkakautang (Under the agrarian reform laws, each farmer has a debt equivalent to the value of the land given to them. They need to pay it within 30 years added six percent interest before they truly own the land. This is the time that they be free from that debt),” the President said in his speech.

For Corazon Magbasa, an ARB in Tarragona, Davao Oriental, she is thankful of what the President has done to them.

“Nalipay mi nga nahatagan mi sa titulo ug nalipay mi na program na gi-ingon sa atong Presidente dako kaayo siya tabang para sa amoa mag-uuma (We are very happy for the title and we are happy of the program said by the President, this is a big help to us farmers),” says Magbasa who now has a title to a 2-hectare land planted to coconuts and fruit trees. (RGA/PIA Davao City)