600 Zamboanga del Sur farmers get long-awaited land titles

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur – Christmas came early for 600 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Zamboanga del Sur after they finally received their long-awaited land ownership titles together with agricultural machinery, equipment, and infrastructure projects from the national government.

The turnover formed part of a massive regional distribution led by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) during the Regional Stakeholders’ Engagement and Consultation held at the Zamboanga del Norte Cultural and Exhibition Center in Dipolog City on Tuesday.

On behalf of the provincial government, Board Member Hernan dela Cruz (Zamboanga del Sur second district) thanked the national government and DAR, describing the multi-million peso intervention as a life-changing holiday gift for local farming families who had waited decades to secure legal ownership of the lands they till.

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READ: Marcos vows to complete land title distribution in 2027Dela Cruz told the Inquirer that direct land ownership, paired with modern farm machinery and improved farm-to-market infrastructure, forms the “cornerstone of uplifting farmers’ economic conditions and strengthening the province’s overall agricultural sector.”

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Ramon Madroñal Jr., DAR-9 regional director, said Zamboanga del Sur received a P13-million farm-to-market road project and P500,000 worth of farm machinery and equipment aimed at boosting productivity and market connectivity for farmers.

Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay,  and Sulu also received their respective allocations during the region-wide event.

DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III spearheaded the distribution of 3,746 land titles to 3,601 ARBs across the Zamboanga Peninsula, covering Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) and individual electronic land titles (E-Titles).

Estrella said he preferred distributing the land titles personally so he could directly “feel and hear the problems” facing farmers in Region 9, reaffirming DAR’s mandate to continuously visit rural areas until every beneficiary receives their rightful land patent.

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Host Zamboanga del Norte Gov. Darel Dexter Uy commended Estrella for prioritizing Zamboanga Peninsula’s agricultural sector, noting that genuine regional development cannot be attained if smallholder farmers are left behind.

In addition to land titles, DAR also turned over farm machinery and support equipment valued at P5.38 million to agricultural cooperatives across Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay. 

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The machinery package—which includes tractors, rice threshers, power tillers, sprayers, and water pumps—is expected to benefit nearly 3,895 ARBs region-wide.

READ: DAR eyeing distribution of 800,000 land titles by end of Marcos admin

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The regional gathering also featured the awarding ceremony for PelikulaAgraryo 2026, recognizing short films on agrarian reform success stories and the triumphs of Filipino farmers./coa