DAR eyeing to distribute 800K land titles to ARBs before end of Marcos term

At least 800,000 land titles are eyed to be distributed to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) before the end of the Marcos administration, Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III said Wednesday.

''Siguro tantsa namin mga 800,000 pang titulo ang kailangan nating ipamigay hanggang matapos ang termino ng ating Pangulo at mukhang magagawa natin," Estrella told Palace reporters. 

(Around 800,000 land titles need to be distributed before the end of the term of the President and it looks like we can finish this.)

"It looks like kaya natin kasi nahanap na natin ang paraan para mapabilis,'' he added.

(We can finish this because we already found ways to hasten the distribution.) 

Asked if the distribution of land titles would result in increased agriculture productivity, Estrella said, ''Definitely, of course.''

''Itong ginagawa natin, pinagsisipagan natin tapos mabubura pa 'yung utang nila, sa kagustuhan ng ating mahal na Pangulo and then sangkatutak na ayuda ang binibigay sa magsasaka, farm-to-market roads, farm machineries and equipment,'' he said.

(The things we do, we put our efforts into this and even their loans will be written off. We also give them assistance like farm-to-market roads, farm machineries, and equipment.) 

Estrella also called on agrarian reform beneficiaries to engage in modernized and more scientific methods of farming. 

In July of last year, President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. signed the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, which will condone the amortization of principal payments, interest and penalties on land tilled by farmers.

The new law, or the Republic Act No. 11953, will benefit 610,054 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) as it writes off P57.557 billion of their loans.

Meanwhile, Estrella is also aiming to make ''agriculture sexy again" by encouraging young people to go into it.

He said graduates of four-year agriculture courses would also have the chance to acquire government-owned lands, as well as retired police and military personnel and rebel returnees. —VAL, GMA Integrated News