As DAR reports 10,000 CLOAs issued in Caraga,Bukidnon farmers decry slow issuance of their land titles
- Media Communications
- Jan 17
- 3 min read
Don Carlos, Bukidnon — The Don Carlos Bukidnon United Farmers Association, Inc. (DCBUFAI) has expressed deep frustration over the prolonged delay in the issuance of Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) to its members, even as the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) reported distributing more than 10,000 land titles in the Caraga Region in December 2025.
According to DCBUFAI, the continuous delay has left hundreds of smallholder farmers in Don Carlos in a state of uncertainty, undermining their productivity and making them vulnerable to land-grabbing and displacement. The affected farmers are claiming 109 hectares of land formerly part of Bukidnon Farms Inc. (BFI), a property turned over to the government for agrarian reform in 1986.
“Maka wala og gana maka kita nga naay pila ka libo nga CLOA na- issue sa uban samantala kami ga hulat sa pipila na ka dekada para sa amoang CLOA,” said Jovencio Destor, president of DCBUFAI. [It is disheartening to see thousands of CLOAs issued elsewhere while we continue to wait for decades for our CLOAs]
“Among mga miyembro nag tuman naman sa mga kinahanglanon ug nag tambong man mi sa proseso. Ang hinay nga pag hatag nag hikaw kanamo sa kalig-onon sa among panginabuhi,” Destor added. [Our members have complied with requirements and participated in the (agrarian reform) process. The slow pace of issuance deprives us of the stability we need to improve our livelihoods.]
DCBUFAI is calling on DAR Region X to immediately fast-track the processing and distribution of CLOAs to qualified farmers in Bukidnon, citing decades-long delays that have denied agrarian reform beneficiaries their land rights. The demand was reiterated during a protest rally in July 2025 and dialogue at the DAR Regional Office X in Cagayan de Oro, joined by the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) and allied organizations, who also urged DAR Central Office and oversight bodies to probe the persistent bottlenecks stalling Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) implementation in Don Carlos.
“Wala kami nangayo og espesyal nga pag tratar, hinaut lang unta nga patas ug dinali-dali. Atong mag-uuma angay mahatagan sa parehong pagtagad ug aksyon gihatag sa uban lugar,” Destor lamented. [We are not asking for special treatment, only fairness and urgency. Our farmers deserve the same attention and action afforded to other areas.]
This alarming delay in land titling also deepens the farmers’ vulnerability to the climate crisis. Across Southeast Asia, smallholder farmers who produce most of the region’s food face ever-worsening climate impacts — from droughts and heat stress to storms and flooding — yet receive only a fraction of the climate adaptation support they need.
In the Philippines, the agricultural sector absorbs a large share of climate-related losses, with extreme weather events causing billions of pesos in annual damages and threatening the livelihoods of millions of farmers and their families. These climate shocks reduce yields, disrupt planting cycles, and increase input costs, making tenured land rights and access to adaptation resources critical for resilience, food security, and the long-term survival and viability of smallholder farming communities.
“Agrarian reform is one of the cornerstones of climate justice. When farmers can secure and decide over their land, they can adopt diversified cropping, agroecology farming, organic farming, and other climate-resilient practices that strengthen food systems, enhance small farmholder adaptation, increase productivity and incomes, and reduce emissions,” said Lucita Gonzales, PMCJ Mindanao coordinator.
”We are demanding that DAR stop dragging its feet and immediately fast-track the issuance of CLOAs to qualified farmers in Don Carlos, Bukidnon,” Gonzales stressed.
“For decades, DCBUFAI members have complied with every revalidation and dialogue, yet DAR 10 continues to delay what should have been delivered long ago. This lack of transparency and accountability is unacceptable. If DAR Caraga reports 10,000 titles distributed, why can’t DAR Region X? It is urgent for the DAR Central Office to look into this matter,” said Ian Rivera, national coordinator of PMCJ.
Rivera argued that agrarian reform cannot be treated as a number or statistic. This is a badly-needed and urgent reform, as farmers are now at the center of climate impacts.
“Ensuring equitable land distribution is critical to building the country’s resilience to the worsening impacts of the climate crisis. Every delay pushes farmers deeper into poverty and puts our collective future at risk,” Rivera concluded. ###
For Mindanao-based media, contact:
Pat Pangantihon
Policy and Communications Officer-Mindanao
Philippine Movement for Climate Justice
For Metro Manila-based media, contact:
Sheila Abarra
Senior Media and Communications Officer
Philippine Movement for Climate Justice
Viber: +639916692356
WhatsApp: +639380898327
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