House pushes for speedy land registration

MANILA -- The House of Representatives has approved on second reading a proposal aimed at reducing red tape by rationalizing the requirements imposed by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) regarding land registration.

The Lower House approved House Bill 6589, which seeks to facilitate speedy and efficient transactions in land registration.

The bill mandates that clearance or permits from the DAR for registering land shall only apply to those lands that are covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, principal author of the bill, said he proposed to rationalize the process to eliminate the unnecessary red tape that prolongs public processes and serves as potential areas for corruption.

“One such area exists in the realm of land registration wherein the DAR, which reasonably should be the clearing house before land covered by the CARP could be registered, also serves, unnecessarily, as the clearing house for the registration of lands which are not covered by the CARP,” Alvarez said.

Under the bill, DAR’s clearance or approval permits shall no longer be required for the registration of lands not covered by the CARP, as well as lands with a size below the five-hectare retention limit.

The bill, however, requires the submission of a Certificate or Order of Exclusion issued by the DAR as proof that the land is excluded from the CARP’s coverage.

It also requires the presentation of an affidavit of aggregate total agricultural lands by both the transferor and the transferee in case of lands with a size below the five-hectare retention limit.

The bill provides that any public officer or employee who violates the proposed law shall be dismissed from office and suffer perpetual, absolute disqualification without prejudice to other criminal, civil, or administrative penalties provided by law. (PNA)