Land Management Bureau holds a consultation on Land Policies

In a bid for transparency, the Land Management Bureau conducted a three-day stakeholders’ consultation from March 11 to 13, 2024 at Hotel Kimberly, Tagaytay City to solicit inputs from various stakeholders on policies regarding the revocation, reconstitution, and reissuance of lost or destroyed unregistered patents, as well as the revised guidelines of Republic Act No. 10023, also known as the Residential Free Patent Act. The former provides a comprehensive and uniform procedure on the reconstitution, revocation, and reissuance of lost or destroyed unregistered patents issued by the DENR while the latter addresses policy gaps in the disposition of residential lands.

The objectives of the consultation were threefold: firstly, to finalize policy proposals for discussion; secondly, to gather insights from the Assessor’s Office and Planning Division Office regarding land zoning to maximize its utility; and thirdly, to collect information and perspectives from DENR Field Offices, the Land Registration Authority, the Registry of Deeds, and local government units on their current knowledge and practices concerning handling of unregistered patents, residential free patent issuance, zoning, and registration of titles. Valuable insights and recommendations will be considered in the preparation of the said policies.

In her opening remarks, Director Emelyne Talabis emphasized the need to fast track the approval of these policies, which will provide for a streamlined and transparent process that ensures fairness and accountability.  “This is a way to show stakeholders that our organization is transparent and accountable,” she said. “Through this, we can have a complete picture of the situation where we can base our policies on, as our stakeholders have a broader understanding of policy proposals. We can ensure that they will reflect what is needed by impacted stakeholders.”