A total of 158 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Tulunan, North Cotabato, have received their long-awaited land titles, covering 344 hectares under the Department of Agrarian Reform’s (DAR) Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) project.

The awarding of titles is the result of relentless coordination and teamwork among agencies, Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II (PARPO II) Evangeline Bueno said in a belated news release on Monday.

“This achievement didn’t happen overnight. It was the result of years of collaboration among government agencies and the patience of our beneficiaries,” she said, citing assistance from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Registry of Deeds and Barangay Magbok council.

Mercedez Torate, one of the beneficiaries, said the long wait was “all worth it.”

“This title means security for me and my family, and it’s the opportunity for us to improve our lives,” Torate said during the awarding on Aug. 13.

Bueno also said the distribution of land titles under the SPLIT Project not only affirms the beneficiaries’ legal ownership but also strengthens their security and rights over the lands they have cultivated for generations. (PNA)