A total of 340 hectares of the 700-hectare Mindoro State University (MinSU) will benefit 220 identified agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) from the province.

Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Acting Secretary Bernie Cruz on Monday signed the certificates of land ownership award (CLOA) for 220 farmers at the agency’s central office on Elliptical Road, Quezon City.

Cruz reminded beneficiaries to develop their land, which they are forbidden to sell or pawn.

A beneficiary may be penalized or disqualified if the land he received is transferred to a third party.

“Paki-usap na lang natin dun sa mga beneficiaries, sana pagyamanin ninyo ‘to, ayusin nila, magtulong-tulong sila at kami naman sa DAR ay willing magbigay ng support services sa kanila para ito ay mapaunlad nila at mapakinabangan sa mas mahabang panahon (I appeal to our beneficiaries. I hope you take care of this land, develop it, and we, at DAR, we are willing to provide the needed support services so you can benefit from it for a long time),” Cruz said during the virtual ceremony.

MinSU, formerly Mindoro State College of Agriculture and Technology, located in the villages of Alcate and Villa Cerveza in Victoria, Oriental Mindoro, was placed under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

All government institutions must identify lands that are suitable for agriculture for distribution to beneficiaries. (PNA)