Thousands of farmers in Northern Luzon are now landowners — free from decades of debt — thanks to the Department of Agrarian Reform’s (DAR) latest distribution of land titles and mortgage condonation certificates under the World Bank-funded Project SPLIT.

In back-to-back ceremonies on Thursday and Friday, DAR handed out over 2,600 land titles and nearly 9,400 condonation certificates to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) across Cagayan Valley and the Cordillera region.

In Isabela, DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III led the awarding of 1,805 land titles covering 3,149 hectares to 1,512 ARBs in Cagayan Valley. Alongside these, 9,257 Certificates of Condonation and Release of Mortgage (CoCRoMs) were awarded to 5,870 ARBs — wiping out millions of pesos in unpaid amortizations and interest under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

“These land titles and condonation certificates represent a new beginning,” Estrella said. “We’re not only giving legal ownership but also freeing farmers from debt. This is social justice in action.”

In Tabuk City, Kalinga, 813 land titles covering 351 hectares were awarded to 654 ARBs across the Cordillera provinces. Abra received the highest number of titles (596), while Kalinga had the largest land area awarded at 131 hectares. Additionally, 135 ARBs received mortgage condonation totaling ₱6.56 million, most of which came from Kalinga.

Farmers’ cooperatives in Kalinga also received ₱3 million worth of farm equipment, further boosting their productivity.

The debt relief was made possible through Republic Act 11953 or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in 2023.

One farmer, Angel Angeles of the Benito Soliven Agrarian Reform Community in Isabela, shared what the land title meant to him: “Now that the land is in my name, no one can take it away. I can decide for myself how to manage my farm.”

World Bank Senior Land administration specialist Kathrine Kelm, who witnessed both ceremonies, congratulated the beneficiaries and hailed the milestone as “a major step toward long-term security and opportunity.”