The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) distributed on Monday certificates of land ownership (CLOAs) covering 38 hectares of agricultural lands to farmer-beneficiaries in Zambales.

Provincial agrarian reform program officer Emmanuel Aguinaldo led the distribution of land titles to at least 38 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Barangay Pangolingan in Palauig town.

He said the distribution ended the decade-long wait of the rightful beneficiaries to finally own the land they have been tilling.

“The (CLOA) is proof that they are now the owners of the land given by the government through DAR,” Aguinaldo said in social media post.

He advised the beneficiaries to cultivate the land and make it productive.

Aguinaldo also encouraged farmers to join cooperatives or establish their own so that they could fully experience all the benefits the government is pouring through farmers’ cooperatives and associations.

He said their agency is not only focused on the distribution of lands but also on giving support services to the farmers.

“The DAR will continue to provide support services interventions to make their lands more productive to generate more income for their families,” he added.

In June this year, the DAR distributed CLOAs to 25 ARBs from the towns of Castillejos, Botolan, Subic, and Palauig, covering 26 hectares of agricultural lands in Zambales. (PNA)