Eastern Visayas, Philippines – The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has made significant progress in the Eastern Visayas region under the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) project, covering approximately 13,705 hectares of farmlands. DAR 8 (Eastern Visayas) Director Robert Anthony Yu, during a press briefing on Wednesday, reported that the project has benefited 4,372 agrarian reform beneficiaries by providing them individual titles for the lands they till.
According to Philippines News Agency, the SPLIT project, initiated in mid-2021, faced initial delays due to the pandemic and other factors such as the absorptive capacity of associated agencies. However, recent developments, including the Land Registration Authority’s preparedness and the resolution of survey-related issues with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, have accelerated progress. The primary goal of SPLIT is to validate and distribute 206,221 hectares of farmlands, previously awarded to farmers’ groups through collective certificates of land ownership awards (CCLOA).
Parcelization, a key process in SPLIT, involves subdividing farmlands covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) and determining their precise measurements and boundaries. This process also includes allocating lots to agrarian reform beneficiaries within CCLOA, defining common use areas, and identifying government-alienable lands. Yu emphasized that this project aims to strengthen land ownership among beneficiaries, enhance land productivity, and assist local governments in resolving real property tax issues.
The provision of individual land titles through the SPLIT project is also expected to enable farmers to access financial services from banks. Funded by the World Bank, the total project cost stands at PHP24.62 billion, with a 78 percent loan amounting to PHP19.24 billion and a 22 percent Philippine government counterpart of PHP5.38 billion. In the Eastern Visayas region alone, the funding requirement exceeds PHP1 billion.
The SPLIT project is a collaborative effort involving multiple agencies, including the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Land Registration Authority, Registry of Deeds, Land Bank of the Philippines, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.