ILOILO City – Despite the challenges, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has pledged to fully distribute all designated agricultural lands to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Western Visayas before President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s term concludes by 2028.
President Marcos wants to complete the land distribution process under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) during his administration.
DAR Region 6 director, Atty. Sheila Enciso said there are challenges in the process, particularly from landowners contesting the distribution.
“Landowners are really fighting for their rights, which creates numerous cases and requires meticulous examination during the issuance of notices of coverage,” she explained.
There have also been instances where land titles were not found at the Registry of Deeds, necessitating DAR to secure duplicates or copies from Congress to proceed with land title issuance for ARBs, she added.
Despite these hurdles, Enciso assured that DAR-6 would complete the land distribution before President Marcos’ term ends.
“We have already distributed 428,000 hectares. Our remaining balance is 38,997 hectares, which is about eight percent of the total,” said Enciso in a press briefing on Tuesday morning.
The CARP’s mandate dates back to 1972 under the administration of the late former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., beginning with Presidential Decree 27, which required the distribution of all agricultural lands, specifically rice and corn, to ARBs.
The initiative was further reinforced by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988 (Republic Act 6657) during Corazon Aquino’s presidency and extended under Republic Act 9700.
In Western Visayas, a total of 467,415 hectares have been earmarked for agrarian reform since 1972. Here’s how it breaks down by province:
* Aklan – 22,709 hectares
* Antique – 51,723 hectares
* Capiz – 72,396 hectares
* Guimaras – 17,798 hectares
* Iloilo – 73,634 hectares
* Negros Occidental 1 – 93,225 hectares
* Negros Occidental 2 – 135,930 hectares
Of these, 428,418 hectares have been distributed as follows:
* Aklan – 22,669 hectares
* Antique – 51,678 hectares
* Capiz – 66,667 hectares
* Guimaras – 17,501 hectares
* Iloilo – 68,882 hectares
* Negros Occidental 1 – 80,197 hectares
* Negros Occidental 2 – 120,814 hectares
The remaining balance to be distributed stands at 38,997 hectares or 8.34 percent:
* Aklan – 40 hectares
* Antique – 45 hectares
* Capiz – 5,719 hectares
* Guimaras – 297 hectares
* Iloilo – 4,752 hectares
* Negros Occidental 1 – 13,028 hectares
* Negros Occidental 2 – 15,116 hectares
The region is home to 271,240 ARBs distributed across the provinces, with numbers ranging from 11,634 in Guimaras to 80,104 in Negros Occidental 2.
To accelerate the distribution of the remaining lands, DAR has streamlined the land documentation process and partnered with agencies like the Registry of Deeds, the Land Bank of the Philippines, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to expedite the issuance of Certificates of Land Ownership Awards (CLOAs).
Enciso, who has served as the regional director of DAR-6 for five years, is set to transfer to Region 7 or Central Visayas. She will be succeeded by Region 7 director Leomides R. Villareal./PN
