In a significant move to bolster agrarian reform, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in the Philippines distributed 211,751 land titles to 203,839 beneficiaries across the nation in 2024. This distribution included 134,736 electronic titles and 77,015 certificates of land ownership under the regular land acquisition and distribution (LAD) components of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program. Each beneficiary is eligible to receive up to three titles for different land segments.
Luis Meinrado Pañgulayan, DAR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning, and Research, detailed that 126,810 beneficiaries received their titles through the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling project, while 77,029 were awarded under the regular LAD program. Pañgulayan also warned that failure to adhere to land use regulations, such as abandoning the land, misusing it, converting it for commercial or residential use without permission, or selling it illegally, could result in disqualification from the program.
In addition to the land title distribution, the implementation of Republic Act 11953, or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, has been a significant relief for agrarian reform beneficiaries. This act condones all unpaid amortizations, including principal debt, interest, and surcharges, through the issuance of Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgages. According to DAR data, this initiative has benefited 610,054 beneficiaries farming 1.173 million hectares, relieving them of an estimated PHP57.56 billion in unpaid obligations.
DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III has committed to completing the land distribution program by the end of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s term in 2028. This commitment underscores the government’s dedication to empowering farmers through land ownership and providing essential agricultural support services. Pañgulayan emphasized that DAR’s mission aligns with the 1987 Constitution’s mandate to implement agrarian reform through land tenure improvement, agrarian justice, and the delivery of essential support services to beneficiaries.