After the passage of the 1987 Constitution and R.A. 6657 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL), the status of land classification are as follows:

Out of the 14.1 million hectares of A and D lands, a total of 6.720 M hectares were administratively titled by the DENR as of December 2006 while 3.134 M hectares were titled judicially. From the remaining untitled A and D lands, around 1.800 M hectares are non- agricultural lands allocated for road networks and open spaces. By virtue of Presidential Proclamations, a total of 1.706 M hectares of A and D lands have been turned over to other agencies (e.g. military reservations, KKK areas turned over to DAR by virtue off E.O. 406). The remaining .740 M hectares is targeted for disposition in the next five years.

Proclamation No. 172 provides for the disposition of certain portions of land located in four (4) Barangays in the City of Taguig, Namely: Lower Bicutan, Upper Bicutan, Western Bicutan and Signal Village to qualified beneficiaries.

Pursuant to this program, the DENR has already issued a total of 9,307 Deeds of Sale to bonafide occupants from CY 1992 to Dec. 2003.

One of the program priorities of the LMB is the fast tracking of the cadastral survey project in the country. The program is instrumental in efficient patent distribution and accelerating countryside development.

As of Dec. 2004, a total of 916 cities and municipalities were covered by approved cadastral surveys; 337 municipalities have on-going surveys; 289 municipalities were partially surveyed; and 72 municipalities remain totally unsurveyed, including three (3) Cadastral Projects that were abandoned and four (4) newly created municipalities.

Notes:

• This activity was devolved to LGUs pursuant to DENR Administration Order No. 3
  dated June 30, 1992, but was given back to LMB by virtue of DAO 23 dated
  Aug. 29, 2001.
• Importance of Cadastral Survey:
  • Facilitates the government's land titling program
    • titles provide security of tenure
    • Titles can be used as collateral to loan
  • Support Taxation
  • Serves as basis in the settlement of political boundary disputes
  • Supports the planning, management and decision making processes.
    
    

The country's Torrens System of land titling and registration has long been burdened with the problem of proliferation of fake and spurious land titles. The people's belief in the system has been erroded by the existence of spuriously and fraudulently issued titles, that is contributing to the ailing economy of our country.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through the LMB is charged with the management and administration of the country's natural resources including the protection of the people's rights over their lands. thus, in implementing the Oplan:Fake Titles project which primary aims to curb the issuance of fraudulent and spurious patents/titles and institute legal proceedings for their cancellation.

The project employs two (2) approaches, which are the preventive and remedial approaches. Under the preventive approach, information campaign is intensified in order to educate the people on the evil effects of fake titles, how to avoid becoming victims of land fraud, how to detect fake and spurious titles, among others. Another is to evaluate the existing system, administrative titling in order to identify its loopholes and thus institute measures to address them. On the other hand, the remedial approach intends to flush out existing fakes/ spurious titles by intituting cancellation proceedings.

The following are the accomplishment of the Oplan:Fake Titles Project.

• A special committee on Oplan: Fake and illegal Land Titles was created on October 13, 1999. The composition of the said committee was revised as per S.O. No. 2003-984 issued by Sec. Elisea G.Gozun, on Dec. 2,2003.
• From 1997 to Dec.2004, a total of 3,083 cases were filed with the OSG/DARAB while a total of 6,552 cases are being investigated/identified nationwide.
• Cancellation/Reversion proceedings have been initiated in collaboration with the Office of the Solicitor General.
• Training and seminars were conducted.
• Radio/TV guestings, press releases, information caravan, interpersonal communications through symposia with the Bankers group, Building contractors, CREBA, government officials and employees, Rotary and other civic organizations, distribution of IEC materials were undertaken.
  
  

The LMB has embarked on the creation of a computer-based inventory of land records otherwise known as the LRMIS. This project aims to improve the physical condition of our records and identification of missing records.

The LRMIS is one of the preventive measures of the Oplan: Fake Titles Project. It prescribes the adoption of modern technology that will improve access to reliable information.

So far, the following are the accomplishment of this project as of Dec. 2003:

• Guidelines for the inventory of land records were issued and are being implemented.
• Training of the regional records officers were conducted.
• About 1.94 million survey and public land application records were manually inventories.
• Adoption of a unified Projection System in the field is being implemented
• Financial assistance to fully implement the project is being sought