LAS NIEVES, Agusan del Norte - The 472 farmers coming from farflung villages in this town of Agusan del Norte province expressed jubilation as they finally received their Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA). "I cannot fully express my feelings, and my gratitude to the Aquino administration for finally giving this land that we are longing for the past several years now," said a teary-eyed farmer after he received the CLOA at Las Nieves Municipal Gym here.
On Tuesday, a total of 760 hectares of agricultural land were awarded to 472 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARB) in Katimalibon ARB comprising of Barangays Katipunan, Malicato and Bonifacio and Rossanim ARB comprising of Barangays Rosario, San Isidro and Marcos Calo, all of Las Nieves town. Agusan del Norte Vice Governor Enrico R. Corvera, together with Las Nieves Mayor Reinario P. Rosales, and Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer (PARO I) Denia M. Jabagat of DAR Agusan del Norte led the hand-over of certificates to the farmer-beneficiaries. The ceremony was also attended by the officials of two large fruit industry in the country today: La Agusana Fruit International Inc.and Del Monte Corporation. The distribution of CLOAs also highlighted the Banana Groundbreaking Ceremony for the hundreds of hectares of agricultural land in Katimali ARB and Rossanim ARB, which will be transformed into landscapes of banana plantation.
