DENR orders land bureau to issue titles to govt lands

Unregistered lands of the government should be given titles immediately to protect them from encroachment of self-serving individuals, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said Friday. DENR Secretary Ramon Paje said in a statement that he directed the Land Management Bureau — one of the department's attached agencies — to "prioritize titling of all untitled government lands." The order is in line with the Aquino administration's thrust to institute reforms in the country's land administration and management. "Securing formal titles for all government lands will prevent unscrupulous land syndicates encroaching government lands," Paje said. "Illegal titling has become an avenue of all sorts of corruption, that is why we are initiating this action to stave off such misdeeds from happening," he added. Paje also ordered regional offices of the DENR to immediately conduct an inventory of untitled lands owned by various government entities and instrumentalities. He said the titling program of government lands will cover untitled lands owned by national agencies, state colleges and universities, public schools, and local government units. "Untitled lands intended for public purposes by virtue of special laws and proclamations shall likewise be covered by the titling program," he added. Under Public Land Act or Commonwealth Act 141, special patent can be issued in favor of government entities and instrumentalities over alienable and disposable lands devoted for public purposes. — JE, GMA News