CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga—The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) here distributed about 4,146 land titles covering 317 hectares of public lands to landless farmers in Central Luzon in support of Environment Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez’s social justice and equitable access to land resources, environment authorities announced on Monday.
Francisco Milla Jr., the DENR director in Central Luzon, said a total of 3,700 residential land titles, called patents, covering 83 hectares and another 446 agricultural land titles, covering 234 hectares, were distributed last year to at least 20,730 marginalized farmers and their families.
“The land distribution efforts are aligned with President Duterte’s antipoverty program in the countryside and are in support of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program or CARP,” Milla said.
“Providing poor farmers ownership of the land they till in the form of land titles is the government’s modest contribution in promoting social justice and alleviating poverty in the rural sector,” he said. “This is the best economic incentive government can give to landless farmers, so they are motivated to fully develop their farms.”
He said the land titles may be used as collateral when farmers apply for loans.
Since 2011 the DENR has already distributed a total of 27,242 patents covering about 15,715 hectares of public lands throughout Central Luzon, benefiting well over 78,000 landless farmers and their families.
The DENR also recognized the local government unit of Botolan, Zambales for being supportive of the government’s land-titling program and for being instrumental in the distribution of 300 residential free patents.
Meanwhile, the DENR has commended its 10 employees for helping achieve its target of accomplishing 100 percent of its land-patent targets last year.
He said the awardees played a crucial role in the issuance of 4,146 residential and agricultural free patents, which represented 106 percent and 112 percent of the agency’s 2016 regional target, respectively, and will receive a plaque of recognition and a certificate of appreciation. Recognized were Norven Dilla of Aurora; Jude Villa of Tarlac; and Rowena Magat of Zambales.
Other awardees for the most outstanding public land inspectors included Andres Viaje of Aurora; Aprilita Mendigoria of Bataan; Melchora Panganiban of Bulacan; Rovilla Casabar of Nueva Ecija; Ma. Jaina Lazatin of Pampanga; Edison Morales of Tarlac and Nelson Flores of Zambales.
The DENR vowed to speed up the identification and survey of public lands for distribution among landless farmers, and is set to distribute another 3,100 residential free patents and 3,439 agricultural free patents this year as part of an ongoing effort to squarely address landlessness and promote social justice through agrarian reform.