26/08/2026
When Justice Travels the Road: ARJOW Reaches Luba ARBs
Attending a government hearing is rarely just a matter of showing up. In the far-flung communities of Abra, reaching an office can mean leaving the farm for a day, spending for transportation, navigating rough roads, and braving unpredictable weather.
For the Agrarian Reform Beneficiarires (ARBs) of Barit, Luba, Abra, however, the journey was different this time. The hearing came closer to them, the Department of Agrarian Reform Adjudication Board–Cordillera Administrative Region (DARAB–CAR), in coordination with the DAR Abra Legal Division, brought its Agrarian Reform Justice on Wheels (ARJOW) to the community.
Presided over by Regional Agrarian Reform Adjudicator (RARAD) Atty. Estrellita Briones, with Lead Counsel DAR Abra OIC Legal Division Head Atty. Illysa Jane T. Abquiren, the team conducted hearings involving three landholdings in Barit and two landholdings in Sitio Botot, Barit, Luba.
For the parties involved, the arrangement meant being able to personally appear before the adjudicator, present their sides, and participate in the proceedings without making the longer trip to the provincial or regional office. Bringing the proceedings closer can make a meaningful difference to communities where distance can be a serious barrier. It saves farmers time and transportation costs while allowing them to attend to their cases without being away from their livelihoods for longer than necessary.
This is the purpose behind ARJOW, to bring agrarian adjudication closer to the people and make access to legal remedies more practical for those living in remote areas.
The wheels of justice kept moving, not just along the roads, but closer to the lives and realities of the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs).
