700 Ilocos Norte farmers receive CLOAs from DAR

LAOAG CITY -- Some 700 farmers from Ilocos Norte have received their certificates of land ownership award (CLOA) from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

Farmer Isidro Calma of Bacarra, Ilocos Norte thanked the government for finally awarding him a title after more than 40 years of tilling.

“Land for the landless is indeed a sincere commitment. Thanks to the government, I now own the land I have been tilling for the past four decades,” he said.

Calma was one of 711 farmer-beneficiaries who received their CLOAs at a ceremony held at the Ilocos Norte Centennial Arena.

DAR Secretary John Castriciones led the distribution of the land titles covering 583 hectares of land situated in different municipalities of Ilocos Norte.

Another beneficiary, 61-year-old Dely Agbayani from Vintar Ilocos Norte said, “having full ownership of the land has freed us from paying rents or shares to the landowners.”

              Agbayani said she considers the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) “a God-given gift for the landless farmers.”

Seeing her name in a land title makes her and other farmers feel secure, she added.

              “The mandate of DAR is not limited to land distribution to the farmer-beneficiaries. It is also to ensure the package of support services like livelihood training, farm inputs, and technology to ensure the maximum benefits from their CLOA,” Castriciones said.

“These support services are not given individually, that’s why we are encouraging farmers to join cooperatives and farm organizations to receive these support services from the government,” he added.

Castriciones also pointed out at the same event that President Duterte has signed Executive Order (EO) 75 ordering the DAR to acquire government-owned agricultural lands for eventual distribution to qualified beneficiaries.

Under EO 75 signed by the President last February 15, all agencies are mandated to identify lands suitable for agriculture and submit a list of these lands to DAR, indicating the location and area of the said lands, actual use, and a legal basis of ownership.