7,311-hectare land to be distributed to Negros farmers

MANILA, Philippines — More than 7,300 hectares of agricultural lands will be distributed to agrarian reform beneficiaries in Negros Occidental this week.

In a statement issued yesterday, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) said a total of 7,035 farmer-beneficiaries in the province would receive land titles on Sept. 9 and 10.

The lands to be distributed are located in the municipalities of Binalbagan, Calatrava, Candoni, Cauayan, E.B. Magalona, Hinigaran, Hinoba-an, Ilog, Isabela, La Castellana, Manapla, Moises Padilla, Murcia, Pontevedra, Pulupandan, Salvador Benedicto, San Enrique, Toboso and Valladolid.

Aside from land distribution, several farmer-beneficiaries will be installed in Pontevedra, according to DAR-Western Visayas chief Sheila Enciso.

“The installation is important as this will signify the beneficiaries’ ownership of the land,” Enciso said.

DAR Secretary John Castriciones and other officials will visit three farmers’ groups in the province to discuss issues related to their property and organizations.

Meanwhile, the DAR has adopted a paperless data collection method to speed up the implementation of the parcelization of lands for individual titling or SPLIT project.

The SPLIT project intends to provide individual land titles to farmers previously granted lands under collective certificates of land ownership award.