DENR to conduct ‘mother of all surveys’ in Central Luzon

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is slated to conduct what it has dubbed as “the mother of all surveys” in Central Luzon in its bid to correct antiquated surveys that have given rise to at least 100 land disputes in the region.

“At least 1,000 boundary markers or mojons shall be recovered by DENR in Pampanga, Bulacan, and Zambales to upgrade surveying and mapping levels at par with global standards,” the DENR regional office here said.

Leonardo Aggabao, DENR deputy director for lands management, said the mojons, some dating to as far back as the 1930s, shall now be tied up with the Philippine Reference System of 1992 (PRS92) “to provide a standard surveying and mapping reference coordinate system”.

“Most of these mojons have been overtaken by development and can now be found inside titled properties, residential areas and private backyards. Some have been removed to give way to infrastructure development,” Aggabao explained, noting that  this has contributed to “faulty surveying and mapping”.

He said at least 100 land conflict cases have been filed by the DENR in local courts since 2004 alone, mostly stemming from survey overlaps and multiple titling brought about by imprecise surveys and unreliable maps.