MANILA -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday pledged to expedite efforts to distribute land ownership titles to farmer-beneficiaries of agrarian reform this year.

The President made this assurance in a Cabinet meeting in Malacañang, where the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) presented its accomplishments for 2022 as well as its targets for this year.

President Marcos has tasked the agrarian reform department to step up efforts to distribute the certificates of land ownership awards (CLOAs) to beneficiaries.

The chief executive further vowed to provide the much-needed support to help agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) improve their living conditions.

In a statement on December 19, the DAR said it targets to complete the subdivision of around 34,500 collective CLOAs covering 345,089 hectares of land and issuing 134,000 individual titles to ARBs.

The DAR said it is also looking forward to the approval of the Senate version of House Bill (HB) 6336 or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, which is expected to ease the financial burden of ARBs by condoning unpaid amortizations and interests.

HB 6336 also seeks to exempt the payment of real estate tax on agricultural lands awarded under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

“For 2023, DAR will deliver as expected and we will continue to bring government closer to the people,” DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III said in a statement. (PCO)