Kalinaw News: Land Ownership made possible through Surigao Norte’s TF-ELCAC

Posted to Kalinaw News (Dec 2, 2019): Land Ownership made possible through Surigao Norte’s TF-ELCAC

PLACER, Surigao del Norte – As Surigao del Norte’s Task Force to End Local
Communist Armed Conflict (SDN-TF-ELCAC) officially launched at LASICAM Complex
last Thursday, 542 farmers from the municipalities of Gigaquit, Bacuag and Placer
received their Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA).

The most awaited land distribution paves way through the creation of the SDN-TFELCAC which is based on joint Resolution no. 06 series of 2019 dated 04 Sep, 2019 in accordance with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s Mandate on Executive Order (EO) 70 to institutionalize the Whole-of-Nation Approach in attaining inclusive and sustainable peace.

For more than fifty (50) years, the CPP-NPA Terrorists (CNTs) uses land-based issues
known as their Agrarian Revolution (Agrev) Program which aims to confiscate land to
the landlords (“Hut-ong nga Agalong Yutaan”) and give it to the land tillers or the
farmers. The truth is, this is only their way to entice countryfolks to their deception and
propaganda in order to arouse and organize them, and ultimately mobilize and use
them in their pursuit to grab power and impose communism in our country. As the soldiers immersed in the conflict-affected areas through the Community Support Program (CSP), they found out that one of the Primary Issues being used in the area are that of “Land Tenure and Security”. Through the convergence of efforts of the SDNTF-ELCAC, the issue was jointly resolved by agencies of government such as DAR, DENR and NCIP.

Engr Milagros B Bulawan, (Chief Agrarian Reform Program Officer- Land Tenure
Improvement Division (CARPO-LTID) of the Department of Agrarian Reform(DAR) –
SDN said in her message, “We have a total of 1067.54 hectares ready for distribution in
the province, this distribution of land titles form part of the program to End the Local
Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC).”

Hon. Elvira A Egay, provincial Board member representing SDN Gov Francisco “Lalo”
Matugas said, “This event is very important to show our support to attain a true
sustainable peace in all our barangays. There was already a convergence of effort even
before we launched our Peace and Development Zones (PDZ), but today’s activity
further strengthens our commitment to promote peace, bring basic services, and other
development projects to our people.”

Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Jeffrey A Villarosa, Commanding Officer of 30th Infantry Battalion
(30IB) said, “For more than five decades, the CNTs deceived our farmers that the
AgRev is the only hope for their problems but our goverment says NO. The only sure
way to provide lasting solution to land-based issues through our Whole of Nation
Approach. Through SDNTF-ELCAC, one by one, we will resolve our society’s woes and
reach our common aspiration of peace and development. We urge our farmers to be
more vigilant and avoid being swayed by the lies of the CNTs.”

“I also commend all the efforts of our partner agencies especially the DAR, DENR and
the NCIP fo their efforts on this matter. Let us work together to continue the pursuit for
economic upliftment of our farmers who are the primary targets of CNTs recruitment.”,
Ltc Villarosa added.

Source: 4th Infantry Division 

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