Manila Registry of Deeds launches courtesy lane

MANILA, Philippines - The Registry of Deeds in Manila has formally launched and opened its courtesy lane last week in a simple ceremony.

In a statement released by the Manila City Hall, lawyer Marissa Timones, of the Register of Deeds of Manila, said that the courtesy lane aims to ease the burden of queuing and waiting for the elderly, expectant mothers, persons with disabilities, Oversees Filipino Workers and balikbayans, and most especially for investors, by cutting the usual time for processing and release of documents.

They said designated examiners will be tasked to attend to the papers of the said clients to expedite processing.

Aside from the courtesy lane, Timones said her office is constantly coming up with innovations to serve their clientele better and consequently be able to erase the negative impression that people have on the Registry of Deeds.

“For many years, the Registry of Deeds has been given a generalized image, one that is tainted with issues of corruption, missing titles, discourteous employees and inefficient servicing with the long waiting time before a transaction is completely processed,” said Timones.

When she assumed office three years ago, she said they tried their best to erase this negative image by tackling these issues one by one.

“We do not tolerate fixers, we speed up flow of transactions especially now that we are fully automated, and we give priority to resolving the issue on missing titles. Furthermore, we train our employees to serve our clients with courtesy,” she said.

She said, with all these in place, they want their clients to know that they will live up to their new motto, that “we’re ready to serve you.”

The Manila Registry of Deeds is a branch of the Land Registration Authority. LRA’s mission is to effectively implement the laws and regulations relative to the registration of land titles and deeds; maintain and foster greater public trust and confidence in the Torrens title through honest, prompt and efficient service to preserve and maintain the integrity of land records; and provide vital, accurate and timely land-related development.