BABATNGON, Leyte – A total of 14 landless farmers from this town received their Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) during the past two weeks amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer (MARPO) Leonora Asaldo disclosed that her office distributed 22 CLOAs under the government’s Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) to 14 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) last week and this week.
According to her, the 22 CLOAs covered an aggregate area of 28.9 hectares of agricultural lands situated in the Barangays of Lukay, Gov. Jaro, and Bagong Silang.
Asaldo further disclosed that there are still 73 CLOAs for distribution. “But because of the current situation, we have to schedule the distribution every week to control the crowd,” she added.
“We have to make sure that social distancing is strictly observed to prevent the spread of the dreaded COVID-19,” Asaldo stressed.
During distribution, Asaldo emphasized to the CLOA-recipients the obligations attached to being a beneficiary including the payment of the real property tax as landowners now. (JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA)