Hundreds of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) received over P165.6 million worth of farm machinery, equipment, and inputs, along with 292 individual electronic land titles or e-titles.
The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) said that with the package of support, they expect a more sustainable and productive future for the beneficiaries across the region.
Key leaders of DAR and local government officials led the regional turnover ceremony at the Benguet Sports Complex in Wangal.
DAR Assistant Secretary Virgilio Mendez and Regional Director Jimmy Santiago also awarded P25.1 million worth of Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (CoCRoM), clearing 307 ARBs of long-standing amortization obligations covering 303.5 hectares of land.
Implemented under the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) Project, the land distribution covers 287.35 hectares of agricultural land. The support package included a multi-role power station, four mini 4WD tractors, 23,670 packs of organic fertilizer, and overP3 million worth of farm inputs for the province of Apayao.
‘This is a blessing for us farmers,’ said Macbay Latawan, an ARB from Bucloc, Abra.
‘With these e-titles and the condonation of our land debts, we have renewed hope and better opportunities to improve our livelihood,’ he added.
Assistant Secretary Mendez commended DAR-CAR for its strong performance, noting that the department has already distributed more than 69,000 land titles in 2023 and over 103,000 in 2024, coupled with P57 billion in condoned unpaid amortizations nationwide under the New Agrarian Emancipation Act.
‘We continue to fulfill the government’s commitment to uplift farmers and strengthen rural productivity,’ he said.
Santiago emphasized that the turnover demonstrates DAR’s continuing mission to empower farmers through secure land ownership and modern agricultural support. ‘By granting individual land titles and providing essential production inputs, we give farmers full control over their lands and the tools to increase their yields,’ he said.
Local leaders, including Abra Vice Governor Ana Marie A. Bersamin and Apayao Representative Eleanor B. Begtang, lauded the initiative, citing its role in strengthening rural development and ensuring food security.
Mary Angcial, president of the Pudtol Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multipurpose Cooperative, expressed gratitude, calling the assistance the ‘lifeblood’ of their community’s livelihood.
The ceremony gathered ARBs, DAR officials, and local partners from all six Cordillera provinces-highlighting a unified effort to advance agrarian reform and foster inclusive and sustainable countryside growth.