By Lilibeth A. French
The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) – Iloilo turned over P17,739,749.08 worth of bridge and distributed land titles to Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) in Anilao, Iloilo.
Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer Harriet A. Loot presented the project brief of the Mostro-Balunos Bridge and signed the Certificate of Project Acceptance with Mayor Nathalie Ann F. Debuque during the blessing and turn-over ceremony held October 12.
The Mostro-Balunos Bridge is a 17.40 linear-meter bridge built in Mostro village under the Tulay ng Pangulo para sa Kaunlarang Pang-agraryo (TPKP) project of the DAR.
It is a foreign assisted bridge program between the French Government, Government of the Philippines and of the Local Government Unit of Anilao.
Some 4,108 population of Brgy. Mostro, Balunos and Manganese, of which 433 are ARBs, are expected to benefit from the project.
On the other hand, a total of 154 Emancipation Patents/Certificate of Land Ownership Awards with a total area of 257.6287 hectares were also handed over to 133 ARBs during the event which was attended by Governor Arthur Defensor Jr., DAR Regional Director lawyer Sheila B. Enciso, other municipal and barangay officials, and ARBs from Brgy. Mostro, Manganese and Balunos.
Lexi Donguila, an ARB from Brgy. Badiang, expressed her gratitude for the realization of the bridge project and for the land title she received. (PIA-Iloilo/Photo courtesy of DAR-Iloilo)
