City of San Fernando—About 345,000 farmers in different provinces in Central Luzon received their land titles legitimizing their claim to ownership of farmlands they have been cultivating, the regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources announced Wednesday.
DENR3 director Paquito Moreno said 63,381 land titles have been issued to farmers in seven provinces and two cities covering 19, 501 hectares in the region since 2011 to present.
The successful land distribution, Moreno said is because of the improved land administration and management program of the DENR and lined government agencies such as the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and Department of Agriculture (DA).
This develops as the DENR distributed 2,249 Certificate of Land Titles (residential free patent) to residential areas covering 47 hectares of lands in region 3.
“Land title is the most concrete proof of ownership over a land you occupy. And this “Handog Titulo” program is the modest government contribution in promoting social justice and alleviating poverty in the rural sector,” said Moreno in a statement.
The DENR is set to distribute another 1,725 residential free patents this year.
Meanwhile, the DENR Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) in Tarlac awarded last week a special patent to the Provincial Hospital of Tarlac covering more than nine hectares.
The special free patent is covered under Section 4 of Republic Act 10023 or “An Act Authorizing the Issuance of Patents to Residential Lands.
“We hope that this special patent will further empower our health workers in our battle over COVID-19 pandemic,” Moreno said, adding that land title provides incentives for investments in land and therefore creates an impetus for sustainable economic development.
Susan Yap, governor of Tarlac expressed her gratitude to the prompt action of the government to address land issues and concerns in the province.
“Finally, after almost a century of serving the sick people of the Tarlakeños, the Tarlac Provincial Hospital now has its own title registered in its name” she said.