DAR grants land titles to thousands of beneficiaries

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) said Thursday it has granted thousands of land titles to qualified farmer-beneficiaries, dispelling claims that the issuance of the same has been plummeting over the years.

DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III told the House Committee on Appropriations that he is "willing to sit down" with Gabriela Partylist Representative Arlene Brosas to reconcile the purported disparities of the figures she cited.

"Maybe we need to talk to the Department of Agrarian Reform's office because the data you are mentioning does not match the multitude of titles we are giving out," Estrella said during the agency's 2025 budget deliberations.

"The titles are increasing every year but you are saying that the lands being distributed are dwindling," he added.

However, Instead of rising, Brosas cited a document stipulating that the number of certificates of land ownership awards (CLOAs) issued to qualified agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) has been significantly abated.

"In 2020, there were 22,969 ARBS. In 2021, there were 50,17. Then, in 2022, there were 26,138," she said.

The CLOA is a government-issued title intended for an individual who must be a bona fide tenant or landless resident of the barangay where the land is located. Any Filipino citizen who can cultivate and make the land productive is entitled to receive CLOA.