BY ADRIAN P. NEMES III
The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) – Negros Occidental has installed 72 agrarian reform beneficiaries in Brgy. Robles in La Castellana town, on March 3.
Chief Agrarian Reform Program Officer Marilou Tubesa said the 19 agricultural landholdings covering a total of 57.9371 hectares were covered under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reform (CARPER) through compulsory acquisition (CA) scheme.
Of that number, 43.20 hectares are formerly owned by Francisco Manalo which will be divided among the farmer beneficiaries, Tubesa said.
She appealed to the beneficiaries not to engage in illegal activities that would disqualify them from the program.
Tubesa emphasized that among these illegal activities are selling of the lots and its transfer and lease.
Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Arnulfo Figueroa said DAR has intensified its campaign after receiving reports on rampant or leasing of the awarded lands in the province or commonly known as “ariendo”.
Figueroa said this happens even if the agency has a strong campaign against it.
District Team Leader and Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer Betheresa Zamora, who was also present during the activity, discussed the roles and obligations of beneficiaries reminding them to religiously pay their land taxes in the municipality and their land amortizations to the Land Bank of the Philippines.
The newly installed ARBs have expressed their gratitude to DAR for giving them new hope amid the uncertainties brought by the Coronavirus pandemic.*
