The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) announced Monday that it is moving to streamline the process for small farmers to secure individual land titles.

In a statement, the agency said that it held a three-day event in Cebu City last week to introduce a new policy aimed at making it easier for farmers to get a title for their own plots of land, which were previously held under collective titles.

The new policy, known as Administrative Order No. 2, Series of 2024, or the “Revised Rules and Procedures on Parcelization of Landholdings with Collective Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CCLOAs),” will affect 350 participants from civil society organizations and agrarian reform beneficiary groups in the Visayas regions.

Lilibeth Lee, DAR’s director of the Bureau of Land Tenure Improvement, said the revised order will make the process of issuing individual electronic titles, or e-Titles, faster and clearer for both department officials and farmers.

“This new order ensures that everyone is aligned in implementing the SPLIT Project,” Lee said, referring to the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) project. “It allows farmers to finally secure their own land titles, giving them confidence to invest in their farms.”

Ma. Teresita T. Tarlac, president of the farmer-led group Task Force Mapalad, said the event provided clarity on key provisions and explained safeguards for farmers.

“The SPLIT Project is a big help to us — we will finally have our own individual land titles that give us stability and peace of mind,” she said.

The move was commended by representatives from the World Bank for its focus on transparency, accountability and farmers’ rights.