The government has drawn up measures to speed up the issuance of land titles throughout the country as part iof its intensified effort to tap the land resources.

In a forum on land management, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Sec. Michael Defensor said the measures include on land reform, drafting of omnibus rules and regulation on land management, revision of costs and fees, amendment of the manual on land survey, and the creation of foreshore lease management unit.

The establishment of 15 one-stop land title processing centers all over the country is one of the reform measures that the DENR has undertaken.

The one-stop centers gather in one roof all government agencies involved in land administration thus bringing the government closer to the people.

The omnibus rules and regulations on land management is a compilation of new policy measures on land management while the amendments on land surveying regulations deals on innovations like the Philippine Referance System 92 - (PRS 92).

PRS 92 is a more precise and homogenous set of control points or "mohon" which serves as reference stations for all surveys with the standard mapping framework that guarantees consistent integration and analysis of geographic information.

The proposed creation of foreshore lease management unit is a move to come up with a separate and distinct unit under the land sector with the prime responsibility of the overall management, administration and development of foreshore areas nationwide.

The forum was attended by DENR Undersecretary for Lands Manuel Gerochi, Assistant Secretary Analiza Teh, national Mapping Resources and Information Authority Administrator Dionisio Ventura, all DENR Regional Technical Directors for lands, Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Director Edna Juan-Andan, among other officials from the said agencies.

Director Allan Barcena of the Lands Management Bureau led the overall preparation for the forum.

(Source: Manila Bulletin June 12, 2005)