97 farmers from Barangay Sawmill in Milagros, Masbate received electronic land titles from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) through its Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) project.

The simultaneous distribution ceremonies were held at the Gaisano Mall in Masbate City, and the Claveria Covered Court in Claveria, Burias Island.

The e-titles comprise 202.8238 hectares of farmland in Aroroy, Cataingan, Cawayan, Mandaon, Uson, Milagros, San Pascual, and Claveria.

Through the SPLIT project, lands distributed under collective certificates of land ownership award (CCLOAs) will be subdivided, and farmer-beneficiaries who were previously awarded with lands under collective ownership would be issued individual land titles.

DAR-Masbate Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Herald Tambal said the province had registered 278 e-titles, including 513.7288 hectares since January 2022, with 220.3129 hectares awarded to 128 farmer-beneficiaries last May.

He added that the collaboration and strong partnership between the DAR and the Registry of Deeds (ROD) in Masbate led to the success of the undertaking.

"From 2021 to 2022, Masbate targets to subdivide a total of 475 CCLOAs, comprising a total of 9,576,4880 hectares. Over 6,256 hectares from these have already been validated with the necessary documents being generated for distribution as individual e-titles to the beneficiaries by the end of 2022 or early next year," Tambal concluded.

DAR Bicol Regional Director Rodrigo Realubit, meanwhile, said the titles have given the beneficiaries complete control of the land they till.

"Land titles distributed to farmer beneficiaries open the door to promising opportunities and brighter hopes for improving their quality of life," he added.