DAR allocates lands to 1,666 Luiisita farmers

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) on Friday announced that a total of 1,666 farmworkers from three barangays in Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac have been allotted individual parcels of land since the agency began the process of land distribution in the vast sugar estate last week.

DAR Undersecretary Anthony Parungao said 435 more farmworkers were allotted farm lots last Thursday as the DAR resumed its lot allocation for qualified beneficiaries in Barangay Bantog.

Last July 18,  the DAR first allocated lots in Barangay Cutcut, where 645 farmworkers got guaranteed specific parcels of lots in the sugar estate, owned by the family of President Benigno Aquino III.

Another 586 farmworkers were given lot allocations in Barangay Lourdes last July 22, the DAR added.

"We were able to cover almost 25 percent of the total number of beneficiaries, allocating 1,099.56 hectares of land, in the first three days of lot allocation in Hacienda Luisita," Parungao said.

A total of 6,212 farmworkers have been identified as qualified agrarian reform beneficiaries in Hacienda Luisita. Each beneficiary is allotted 6,600 square meters of farm lot, more or less, out of the 4,099 hectares earmarked for distribution.

Parungao noted that more than 90 percent of the qualified beneficiaries in barangays Cutcut, Lourdes and Bantog attended the drawing of lots to receive their Lot Allocation Certificates and sign the Application to Purchase and Farmers’ Understanding (APFU).

She said that those who failed to attend the drawing of lots had been advised to go to the DAR Provincial Office in Tarlac to sign the APFUs and receive their Lot Allocation Certificates.

Both documents are needed for DAR to generate the Certificates of Land Ownership Award that would be distributed to 6,212 qualified beneficiaries of Hacienda Luisita.

After Barangays Cutcut, Lourdes and Bantog, DAR field personnel would proceed to Barangay Asurias on Monday next week to resume the lot allocation.

The DAR expects to wrap up its lot allocation on August 21, when all the 10 barangays of Hacienda Luisita are covered.