Law Summary
Coverage
- Applies to titling and distribution of agricultural lands within proclaimed settlement projects under DAR administration in accordance with existing laws.
Statement of Policies
- Settlement areas must be accessible to qualified beneficiaries.
- Land ownership entails social function and responsibility, with distribution reserved to the actual tiller.
- Beneficiaries must be: landless, Filipino citizens, at least 15 years old or heads of families, and have the willingness, ability, and aptitude to cultivate the land.
- Preferential assistance is extended to qualified women agricultural laborers, war veterans, military retirees, returnees/surrenderees, and agricultural graduates.
- All lots must be distributed free of cost; no survey or related fees may be charged to beneficiaries.
- Abandoned, unallocated, or vacant lots are to be distributed according to Section 22 of R.A. 6657.
- Award limit set at 3 hectares, except for beneficiaries with lawful prior occupation who may receive legal limits under other laws.
- Land is generally distributed to individuals but collective ownership is permitted where subdivision would reduce economic viability or cultural customs dictate, with conditions on total area and division mechanisms.
Operating Procedures
- Applicable in settlement areas with approved subdivision survey plans by IMB-DENR; areas without plans must have them approved within 18 months.
- Ownership evidenced by CLOA or Homestead Patent containing conditions/restrictions under R.A. 6657.
Responsibilities of Municipal Agrarian Reform Officer (MARO):
- Conduct inventory, evaluate allocatees, verify occupancy and tillage of lots.
- Require and process beneficiary application forms.
- Recommend issuance or cancellation of CLOA based on occupancy and cultivation status.
- Prepare Land Distribution Folder (LDF), report canceled allocations, post lists of vacant lots, and identify/prioritize beneficiaries with Barangay Agrarian Reform Committee.
Grounds for Cancellation of Allocation:
- Absence without DAR permission for over six months.
- Unauthorized transfer of rights.
- Voluntary renunciation.
- Failure to cultivate for over six consecutive months from allocation date.
- Death without compulsory heirs.
Responsibilities of Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer (PARO):
- Act on MARO recommendations within 15 days.
- Issue and notify Orders of Cancellation with appeal rights.
- Review and consolidate LDFs, prepare CLOAs, endorse for DAR Secretary approval.
Regional Director (R.D.):
- Act on appeals from cancellation orders within 15 days.
Bureau of Land Acquisition and Distribution (BLAD):
- Review LDFs and CLOAs, secure Secretary’s approval and seal.
- Transmit CLOAs to PARO for registration.
Register of Deeds (ROD):
- Register approved CLOAs and return copies to PARO.
PARO and MARO:
- MARO distributes CLOAs; PARO records and transmits distribution reports.
Monitoring and Reporting
- MARO reports CLOA distributions to PARO.
- PARO cross-checks CLOA distribution against registered records and reports to BLAD.
- BLAD enters data, generates monthly summary reports, and distributes them to relevant DAR units.
- Management Information System (MIS) incorporates status reports into DAR statistical data and further disseminates.
- Bureau of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development (BARBD) conducts quarterly field validation and assesses program implementation.
Effectivity and Repealing Clause
- The Order takes effect ten days after publication in two national newspapers of general circulation.
- It rescinds or modifies all conflicting orders, circulars, memoranda, rules, and regulations.