BACOLOD CITY – The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has started the land acquisition and distribution (LAD) process for the 228-hectare property of the University of the Philippines-College of Agriculture and Food Science (UPCA-LGRTS) in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental.
DAR Western Visayas assistant regional director Lucrecia Taberna said in a statement on Friday that they are now surveying the government-owned land (GOL) and expected it to be completed before the end of October.
“In compliance with the instructions of (DAR) Secretary John Castriciones and Regional Director Sheila Enciso, the agency started to conduct the survey,” she said.
Taberna added that Dr. Emmanuel Samson, administrator of UPCA-LGRTS, expressed support for the implementation of Executive Order 75, Series of 2019 during their meeting on Wednesday.
The implementing rules and regulations of EO 75 mandates all government agencies to govern the identification, validation, segregation, transfer, and distribution of all GOLs, devoted to or necessary for the purpose for which they have been reserved or acquired for eventual distribution to qualified beneficiaries.
La Carlota City Mayor Rex Jalando-on has also assured the agency of his support for the program's implementation, the DAR-6 said.
Arnulfo Figueroa, OIC-provincial agrarian reform program officer II, said they deployed more survey teams to expedite the process as the deed of transfer is scheduled to be executed in November.
“We have to double time for the completion of the LAD process involving this GOL as soon as possible,” he added.
Earlier, Enciso said in a statement that the coverage of the UPCA-LGRTS property must be completed and distributed to qualified agrarian reform beneficiaries before the end of the year. (PNA)
