City residents get land titles from gov’t

CEBU, Philippines - At least 105 residents of Cebu City have received a land title from the city government yesterday.

Among the barangays that benefited from the Residential Free Patent were Duljo-Fatima with 16 residents and Tinago, also with 16. The beneficiaries were given original title of lots.

Transfer Certificate of Titles were also given to Barangays Kasambagan, 17 residents, and Bulacao, 34. They have benefited from the socialized housing program.

Nineteen residents from Barangay Pasil and three from Barangay Mambaling have benefited from the slum improvement and resettlement program.

Land Management Council Chairperson Jade Ponce said the distribution of land titles to the qualified beneficiaries was in accordance with Republic Act No. 10023 or the “act authorizing the issuance of free patents to residential lands or Free Patent Act.”

Ponce, a lawyer, said RA 10023 was enacted after then president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed the Free Patent Act last March 9, 2010.

“We are giving life to this law, giving titles to occupants on public land. And they should have lived for more than 10 years of an unregistered public land, a land that is not owned by anybody,” Ponce said.

Other requirements for the applicants are that the application must not exceed a total accumulated property of 12 hectares landholding, including agricultural lands, and the area shall not exceed 200 square meters for highly urbanized cities.

Ponce said the free patent distribution was in coordination with Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Land Management Office.

Yesterday’s distribution of land titles was the second activity of LMC this year. They have given out a total of 167 land titles to bona fide beneficiaries.

However, LMC has targeted to give out 1,000 land titles to landless residents of the city.

“Na-pressure gyud mi ni Mayor (Michael Rama), kay we have to come up with that. But, kon kami lang sa city government, makaya ra na. Again, we involve other national agencies that we are not in control of,” Ponce said, adding that there are processes that were centralized which added to the delay of the procedure.

Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, who gave his inspirational message to the beneficiaries, said RA 10023 allows the selling of the free patent compared to the Public Land Act which prohibits the selling of land title within five years.

“Ayaw lang pod dalia og prenda or baligya inig kuha sa titulo kay dili raba lalim. Kon mahimo, ayaw ibaligya, ayaw i-prenda, huna-hunaa inyong mga anak,” he urged the beneficicaries.

Regina Babao, 73, of Barangay Duljo Fatima, said she is very grateful that she was one of the beneficiaries of the program.

Babao was in high spirits yesterday because after 45 years of staying in her area, she has finally received the Original Certificate of Title and she can now call it as her own.

“Dili gyud ko ni biyaan akong balay, bisan og naa nay mga balay akong mga anak, ug bisan kuhaon ko nila, dili gyud ko mobiya sa akong balay,” she said.  (FREEMAN)