QUEZON CITY -- Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and Research Office (PPRO) and Concurrent Undersecretary for External Affairs and Communications Operations Office (EACOO) Atty. David D. Erro encouraged the agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) of DAR to find out who among the national and local candidates have platforms and plans that would benefit them and their communities and to actually go out to the voting precincts on May 9 and exercise their right to vote for those candidates. 

Erro said that data gathered from the DAR Planning Service showed that from 1972 to March 2022, a total of 2,916,621 ARBs have so far been provided by the agency with emancipation patents (EPs) and certificates of land ownership award (CLOAs) covering a total of 4,954,235.54 hectares of land nationwide.

The 2.9 million ARBs is the base number of DAR farmer-beneficiaries voting population that may be multiplied by each member of their families that are of voting age as well.

“ARBs refer to farmers who were granted lands under Presidential Decree No. 27, Republic Act No. 6657 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law and RA No. 9700 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Extension with Reforms,” Erro said.

Erro said that the DAR is committed to uplift the living conditions of the ARBs through the department’s various intervention programs. (DAR)