Vol. XXII, No. 5 [ BusinessWorld Online ]
Friday, August 1, 2008 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES
THREE HOUSE committees have approved early this week the creation of a single agency for land administration.
In a joint hearing on Tuesday, the committees on government reorganization, natural resources, and justice approved the consolidated version of 10 bills seeking to merge the Land Registration Authority and Registry of Deeds under the Department of Justice, Land Management Bureau and Land Management Service under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the National Mapping and Resources Information Authority and Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program secretariat. They will all be under the proposed Land Administration Authority (LAA).
The LAA will ensure the equitable distribution and full development of alienable or disposable lands, and rationalize land administration.
The LAA will be under the Office of the President.
The bill vests to LAA the sole authority to prepare, issue and register all land titles pursuant to Commonwealth Act 141, and future land registrations, including all types of tenure instruments under Republic Act (RA) 6657 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law and RA 8371 or the Indigenous People’s Rights Act.
It was agreed upon during a hearing early this week that all officials and employees of affected agencies will continue to hold office until such time that the regular LAA staff shall have been appointed. Officials and employees who will be integrated in the LAA will not be increased and no new hiring will be allowed until the transition is complete. — ETM
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