Vol. XXI, No. 208-A [ Business World Online ]
Saturday, May 24, 2008 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES
The Chairman of the House Special Committee on Land Use is seeking for the issuance of free patent titles to about 7.8 million unregistered residential lands in the Philippines.
In his explanatory note of the recently filed House Bill 4035 or "An Act Authorizing the Issuance of Free Patent Title to Residential Lands," Committee Chairman and Zamboanga del Sur Rep. Antonio H. Cerilles (2nd District), said that the estimated worth of untitled lands in the Philippines is P5.32 trillion, thus "land titling must be pushed for since it can provide capital for investment, creating a momentum for sustainable economic development."
"Untitled residential land parcels must be considered dormant wealth that has the potential to bring in active capital and surplus value to the nation. To bring this capital to life, titles must be given to these lands through an affordable and legal method," Mr. Cerilles said.
"Once registered, the land becomes part of a formal system that can be explored, combined and linked to other assets," he added.
Under HB 4035, any Filipino citizen may apply for a free patent land titling provided that in highly urbanized cities, the land should not exceed 500 square meters; in first and second class municipalities the land should not exceed 750 sq. meters; and in all other municipalities, it should not exceed 1,000 sq. meters.
Furthermore, the land applied for should have been zoned as a residential area to include town site as defined under the Public Land Act. Likewise, the bill provides that the land applied for is not being needed for public service or public use.
All applications shall be filed before the Community Environment Natural Resources Office (CENRO) under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Under the proposed bill, CENRO shall be mandated to process the application within 120 days to include legal notices and other legal requirements. Thereafter, the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources (PENRO) shall be mandated to issue the patent within five days.
Applications shall be supported by a map and technical description of the land together with a supporting affidavit of two disinterested persons residing in the barangay where the land is located.
In a statement, Mr. Cerilles said that titled property can be transformed into an active capital, thus allowing its owners to contract to practically anything reasonable, even through commitment. — Elizabeth T. Marcelo
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