House OKs bill on nationwide cadastral survey

MANILA, Philippines–The House of Representatives has approved a bill mandating the Land Management Bureau to conduct a fresh survey of land titles to separate the bonafide landowners from fake land claimants.

The House approved on second reading House Bill 5870 or the “Cadastral Survey Act of 2012” requiring the implementation of a nationwide cadastral survey aimed at strengthening the integrity of the Torrens Title System to restore the public’s faith in the national land titling system.

San Juan City Rep. Joseph Victor Ejercito, the main author of the bill, expressed confidence that a cadastral survey would eliminate the loopholes in the country’s land titling system that have been exploited by syndicates to take over large parcels of lands or dupe hundreds of home buyers.

A cadastral survey or cadastral map provides details of land ownership and tenure, the lot’s location and area dimension that when taken together with a title register, provides sellers and buyers and authorities more solid record of ownership.

Ejercito said that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources should bankroll and take the lead in ensuring the full compliance and implementation of the survey. Several DENR officials have been implicated in criminal cases filed by the Office of the Ombudsman with the issuance of spurious land titles.

DENR officials have purportedly conspired with register of deeds forging signatures of dead landowners and deceased persons.

The survey would include research and reconnaissance; establishment recovery and densification of project control and political boundary surveys; and verification and approval of survey returns. Ejercito’s co-authors in the bill are Surigao del Norte Rep. Francisco Matugas and Cavite Rep. Joseph E.A. Abaya.