PALO, LEYTE — Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Conrado Estrella III led the distribution of 15,382 individual land titles covering 36,622 hectares of agricultural land to 16,217 agrarian reform beneficiaries across Eastern Visayas at the Leyte Convention Complex in Palo, Leyte, on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.
SPLIT Project Implementation and Geographic Coverage
The regional distribution program utilized a hybrid format to reach farmer-beneficiaries across all six provinces in Region VIII:
In-Person and Online Participation: Beneficiaries from Leyte and Southern Leyte attended the ceremony in person at the Leyte Convention Complex, while farmers from Samar, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, and Biliran joined through online distribution hubs.
Project SPLIT Framework: DAR Regional Director Robert Anthony Yu confirmed that the titles were issued under the World Bank-funded Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (SPLIT) Project, which subdivides collective Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) into individual land titles.
National Project Scope: The SPLIT initiative aims to subdivide 1.38 million hectares of agricultural land nationwide by 2027 to clarify property boundaries, secure tenure, and enable farmers to make long-term land investments.
Rural Infrastructure and Support Services
Beside land titling, the agency turned over livelihood support and infrastructure assets to regional agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (ARBOs):
Farm Machinery Assistance: Secretary Estrella spearheaded the official handover of P3.6 million worth of modern farm machinery and agricultural equipment to selected ARBOs in the region.
Infrastructure Turnover: The ceremony included the official turnover of two newly rehabilitated rural infrastructure projects designed to improve market connectivity and transport of agricultural produce for local farming communities.
