PALAYAN CITY – Local government units (LGUs) in Nueva Ecija will soon set up special processing lanes for agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs), following the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the provincial government.
These lanes, to be established at the Provincial, City, and Municipal Assessor’s Offices, are intended to expedite the issuance of tax declarations and real property assessments for lands awarded under the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling or Project SPLIT.
DAR Assistant Secretary for Support Services James Arsenio Ponce said the streamlined processing will ease the burden of ARBs, as requirements have been significantly reduced.
He also clarified that while real property taxes remain payable, transaction fees for obtaining tax declarations have been waived through the support of the provincial government.
Ponce noted that having a tax declaration serves as additional proof of land ownership for ARBs.
Meanwhile, Vice Governor Gil Raymond Umali acknowledged the day-to-day challenges of farming life.
He emphasized that even long queues can reduce productivity and income, which is why the provincial government is committed to streamline processes, making them faster, more efficient, and more humane for farmers.
This partnership reflects DAR’s emphasis on inter-agency cooperation to ensure that ARBs experience a seamless transition from land recipients to titled landowners.
It also demonstrates how LGUs can serve as active enablers of agrarian justice by facilitating ARBs’ compliance with post-distribution legal and administrative processes. (MJSC/MAECR, PIA Region 3-Nueva Ecija)