Manila, Aug. 1 -- The World Bank reaffirmed its commitment to Filipino farmers and to rural development as it joined the landmark distribution of almost 2,000 land titles and over 9,000 debt condonation certificates in Cagayan Valley on Thursday.

In a news release on Friday, DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III said the distribution was held in tandem with the 12th World Bank Implementation Support Mission for the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titling (Project SPLIT), a nationwide initiative funded by the international lender to strengthen land tenure through the subdivision of collective land titles.

During the ceremony, a total of 1,805 land titles were awarded to 1,512 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) under the P...