DAR to start land title distribution to 'Luisita' beneficiaries

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) will start on Monday the much-awaited distribution of land titles to the farmer-beneficiaries of the Hacienda Luisita owned by the family of President Benigno Aquino III.

DAR Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Anthony Parungao said the certificated true copies of the Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) will be distributed to the farmer-beneficiaries in 10 barangays of the hacienda in Tarla City.

“After years of struggling for the land, farmworker-beneficiaries of Hacienda Luisita will finally receive land titles for the farm lots allocated to them,” Undersecretary Anthony Parungao said.

Parungao said that as of September 25, the CLOAs for the 5,800 farmer beneficiaries have been generated by the DAR and registered these with the Register of Deeds.

“As of September 25, 2013, only 296 [beneficiaries] have yet to claim their Lot Allocation Certificates (LAC), while only 377 [beneficiaries] have yet to sign and file their APFUs (Application to Purchase and Farmers Undertaking),” Parungao explained.

He said the DAR continues to seek out the beneficiaries who have yet to claim their LACs or file their APFUs.

He noted that a good number of farmer-beneficiaries are either working abroad or living outside of Tarlac, and were unable to claim their LACs or sign and file their APFUs.

“Their CLOAs will be generated and registered as soon as they have signed their APFUs”, Parungao said.

“We have taken the initiative of searching for these beneficiaries to see how we can help them claim their lots”, Parungao said.

“Our field facilitators are out there seeking them out so they can assist them.”