VALENCIA, Negros Oriental, July 31 (PIA) -- Farmers in Central Visayas who received their Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) thanked the government for finally giving them proof of ownership over the agricultural lands they have tilled for a long time. 

More than a thousand farmers from Negros Oriental, Cebu, and Bohol received land titles from DAR during the regional CLOA mass distribution held July 7, 2023 at Uypitching Multi-Purpose Hall, this town.

Among them was Tito Vergara of Manjuyod town who has been hoping to acquire ownership of his land since 2000.

Now that he received his land title, Vergara said he has no plans of selling his land, which covers 2.8 hectares of sugarcane plantation. 

“Walay plano. Kung mahimo man gani dungagan (I have no intention of selling it. If possible, I would like to expand it)," Vergara said.

Vergara, now a landowner, is looking forward to the promised tractors of the Local Government of Manjuyod and from DAR, which was promised to be distributed next year to help him modernize his farming techniques.

Samuel Academia, another Agrarian-Reform Beneficiary (ARB) from Tamisu, Bais City, thanked Pres. Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. and DAR Sec. Conrado Estrella III for ensuring that farmer-ARBs get the land titles, which they have waited for a long time.

“Nagpasalamat mi og dako sa atong Presidente BBM sa iyang pagtutok sa mga farmers. Kung asa mi mouli wala nay moingon namo pahawa diha kay wala namoy labot sa yuta (We are thankful to President BBM for caring for the farmers. Now, no one can tell us to vacate our place because we don’t have a right over our land),” Academia said.

Meanwhile, Danasan Farmers Association President Junrey Batuon of Danao City, Cebu also thanked the President for advancing agrarian reform measures for the benefit of farmers.

“Dako nakong pasalamat sa DAR ug ni Presidente Bongbong Marcos Jr. ug ni Conrado Estrella nga ila gyung gituman ang gisaad atung first SONA nga nahitabo niagong July 2022 (I am thankful to President Bongbong Marcos Jr and to DAR Sec. Conrado Estrella for fulfilling what was promised during the President’s first SONA in July 2022),” Batuon said.

On the other hand, Cecilia Rosal, a colleague of Batuon, hopes that the government would continue to provide interventions for farmers, especially in the distribution of fertilizers to further uplift their socio-economic conditions.

"Amung gikinahanglan kanang fertilizer nga perti na gyung mahala. Lugsanay na lang ming makapangabono kay ang yuta namo nag-anam man sad nga murag ning dagol. Ug dili mi mugamit ana, dili gyud mulambo amuang pananom (We need fertilizers which are currently expensive. If we don’t use it, our crops won’t flourish)," Rosal said.

DAR distributed land titles to 1,940 ARBs during the event.

Of the total, 20 are from Bohol, 205 from Cebu, and the rest are from Negros Oriental. (RAL/PIA Negros Oriental with reports from Jill Cielo and Ria Askin, SU Interns)