The Department of Agrarian Reform in the Negros Island Region (DAR-NIR) assumed responsibility for three provinces in the Visayas.

DAR-NIR will include the provinces of Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental and Siquijor in Project SPLIT (Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling), which is funded by the World Bank and designed to convert collective land titles into individual titles for agrarian reform beneficiaries.

Project SPLIT documents from Central Visayas Region have been turned over to DAR-NIR.

DAR-Negros Oriental chief Manuel Galon said that aside from Project SPLIT, which is part of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), all operational and administrative functions will now be managed by the regional office based in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.

“We are confident that it will now be easier to do transactions due to its strategic location,” he said during the turnover of documents.

Negros Occidental was previously under the West Visayas Region, while Negros Oriental and Siquijor were part of Central Visayas.

Galon said DAR-NIR is also considering putting up a satellite office in Siquijor so that clients no longer have to travel by sea to Negros Oriental. (PNA)