ARMM distributes 291 CLOAs to region's farmer beneficiaries

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=2&rid=829469
• Friday, November 20, 2015

By Edwin O. Fernandez [(PNA), CTB/NYP/EOF]

COTABATO CITY, Nov 20 (PNA) -- The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) today distributed Certificates of Land Ownership (CLOAs) to almost 300 farmer beneficiaries in the region as one of the highlights of ARMM anniversary celebration, officials said.

ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman and Amihilda Sangcopan, secretary of the region’s Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR-ARMM), led the awarding of CLOAs to 70 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) from Basilan and 221 ARBs from Maguindanao.

It was held during the opening ceremony of this year’s ARMM anniversary in Cotabato City.

The distributed CLOAs covers a total of 711 hectares of landholdings in the region wherein 154.5 hectares are in Basilan while 556.5 are in Maguindanao.

Secretary Sangcopan said there are still 967 pending CLOAs in the regional DAR office that covers more than 2,000 hectares of landholdings in the provinces of Sulu, Basilan, Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao.

Four hundred eighty one of these are already for transmittal to the office of the regional governor.

She said the landholdings awarded were part of the agency’s distribution target this year.

“We are working to distribute 20,000 hectares of landholdings this 2015. We are assured of approved survey plans before the end of the year,” she added.

Datu Jan Utto, 35, CLO beneficiary from Datu Saudi in Maguindanao expressed his gratitude to the Autonomous Regional Government noting the land awarded to him will help enhance his family’s livelihood and boost crop production.

“I am a farmer since childhood and we have waited this for so long. We are thankful to the ARMM government),” said Datu Jan.

The CLO is a proof that a farmer-beneficiary has the right of land ownership. Land covered by DAR’s CLO cannot be sold, transferred or donated within 10 years upon awarding, except through hereditary succession, or if sold back to the state or to another qualified beneficiary within the 10-year period.