TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Some 772 farmers from the different parts of the province got their respective Certificate of Land Ownership Awards (CLOAs) from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to legitimize their ownership over the lands that they have been tilling over the past several decades.
Agrarian Reform secretary Conrado Estrella III led the CLOA distribution to the agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) during the Agrarian Reform, Farmers and Cooperatives Day that was part of the lined-up events in celebration of the 73rd founding anniversary of Tabuk and 22nd Matagoan festival.
“We take care of the farmers like what the late President Ferdinand E Marcos, Sr. and his grandfather former Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella II during the early days of the implementation of the agrarian reform program,” Secretary Estrella stressed.
The 682 CLOAs covered an area of some 1,201.8922 hectares in the city and the different towns of Kalinga.
Further, Estrella also turned over P30 million worth of farm machineries and equipment to some 24 agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (ARBOs) as part of the initial wave of support services that the agency will be providing their beneficiaries.
The farm machineries and equipment include 3 units combined harvester with trailer; 3 units tractor with rotovator and trailer; 4 units tractor with corn kit and trailer; 16 units grass cutter; 6 units hand tractor; 25 units min-power tillers; 1-unit rotovator; 1 mini 4×4 truck and 1 truck.
The DAR also turned over a Chanum solar power irrigation system worth P18 million to the recipient groups.
Secretary Estrella urged the farmers to put a premium on the ownership of the lands that they are currently tilling and for them not to sell the same within the 10-year restrictive period so that they can use the property to be productive and help in the country’s food security.
He also appealed to them to maximize the potential of the lands that they now own for the welfare of their families as the government will infuse more support services to make the farmers productive in the coming years.
Tabuk City officials led by Mayor Darwin C. Estranero reciprocated Secretary Estrella’s generosity by adopting him as a son of Tabuk and was given the name Agsingan which means brave leader, a hunter and a respected elder.
Local officials handed to the DAR Secretary the appropriate attire and declared him as one of the ‘pangats or respected elder of the city.
The local legislative body chaired by Vice Mayor Dick G. Bal-o passed the appropriate resolution that formally declared Secretary Estrella’s adoption as a sone of Tabuk.
Estrella asserted that the distribution of the CLOAs to the beneficiaries is just an initial wave of the government’s effort to give out the lands for free to the agrarian reform beneficiaries for them to be able to own the lands that they currently till for them to become productive farmers and contribute in stabilizing the country’s food security.