Penampang: A total of 91 residents of Kampung Togudon received their land titles today, under the Native Customary Land Service Programme of Sabah (PANTAS), said Penampang Member of Parliament (MP) Datuk Ewon Benedick. Ewon, who is also Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister, stated that the land titles, covering 157.37 hectares, were handed over as part of the first phase of distribution, from a total of 982 hectares surveyed under the PANTAS initiative.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Ewon emphasized the importance of this event, acknowledging that the residents of Kampung Togudon have been waiting for land ownership for many years. Upon his election as the MP for Penampang, resolving this issue became one of his top priorities. Following approval from the Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, the land survey under PANTAS was initiated in August last year. The ceremony held in Kampung Togudon marked the implementation of Phase 1 of the land title handover.
Ewon added that the handover concluded the long-standing wait for the villagers to obtain rightful ownership of their land. He expressed confidence that this development will open new chapters for economic activities in the village, particularly in the agriculture and rural tourism sectors.
The land survey under PANTAS in Kampung Togudon is the first to be carried out in Penampang, initiated after Ewon was elected as the parliamentary constituency's representative. He reaffirmed his commitment to expanding PANTAS to other villages, including Kampung Moyog, Kampung Rugading, and Kampung Kibunut.
Ewon has raised the need to continue the PANTAS Programme in the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) 2026-2030 at the Federal Cabinet-level. He expressed satisfaction that it has been included in the 13MP, as presented by the Prime Minister under the special development agenda for the Bumiputera communities in Sabah and Sarawak. Ewon also pledged to seek ongoing support from the Chief Minister to expand PANTAS in areas he represents, namely Penampang and Kadamaian, noting that most of the funding for this initiative is allocated by the Federal government.