Aggressive tact in titling of city-owned lots
The city government has adopted a more aggressive stance in having government lots and those identified for city and public need titled under its name to avoid losing these to land speculators and to apply the correct measurements of roads and alleys for crucial purposes such as disaster and other emergency response.
City Administrator Bonifacio Dela Peña said Mayor Benjamin Magalong directed the revival of the Land Identification and Survey Committee to further speed up the titling program for government properties including those occupied by schools and those identified for city and barangay needs.
Aside from addressing the land titling program the committee will also address the need to fix the widths of alleys and roads to facilitate disaster and other emergency operations now hampered by constricted streets and alleyways.
An initial meeting was conducted for this purpose with representatives from the regional office of the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources, City Environment and Natural Resources (CENRO) and A.O. 504 and the General Services Office, City Engineering Office, City Building and Architecture Office and the City Assessor’s Office.
Dela Peña said titling efforts which started during the first term of the mayor have so far paid off with a number of properties now successfully issued titles by the Registry of Deeds including key city properties occupied by City Hall, City Health Services Office, district health centers, among others.
The City General Services Office under GS Officer Eugene Buyucan and City Planning and Development Office under CPDO Coordinator Arch. Donna Tabangin are following through on other properties already submitted for titling which are now in different stages of the titling process.
They noted that it takes time to complete the process due to the numerous requirements and procedures involved.
To speed up the process, the city enlisted the help of the CENRO which committed to facilitate the survey of 96 government lots for one year even as the city on its end also conducts surveys of the other government real properties to identify the technical descriptions of the lots which is a requirement in the titling process.
Pending the issuance of an executive order to reconstitute the land needs identification body, a technical working group has been created to identify the functions of the committee, the composition and the roles of the offices. – Aileen P. Refuerzo
