Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Land Management Bureau (DENR-LMB) Director Emelyne V. Talabis (center, seated) and Land Registration Authority (LRA) Officer-in-Charge Administrator Robert Nomar Leyretana (left, seated) sign the Joint Memorandum Order (JMO) on the procedural guidelines for the registration of patents and plans approved by the DENR in the Registry of Deeds and other related matters on June 28 in Quezon City. Talabis highlighted that the JMO will provide a more coordinated, accurate, and accessible land information system between the two agencies. It will cover the processing and approval of transactions covering the issuance of DENR-issued patents; and processing, registration and issuance of subsequent titles in relation to LRA-approved plans. LRA is an attached agency of the Department of Justice. Witnessing the ceremonial signing are LMB Assistant Director Romeo Verzosa (right, seated), LRA officials and guests from the Geodetic Engineers of the Philippines and Land Registration Systems, Inc. (Contributed photo/File)

QUEZON CITY, (PIA) -- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), through the Land Management Bureau (LMB), has partnered with the Land Registration Authority (LRA) to ensure a more accurate and accessible land information system.

A statement issued by the DENR on Tuesday said the partnership aims to relieve the transacting public of the hassles of land registration through the use of an online data linkage system.

LMB Director Emelyne Talabis and LRA OIC Administrator Robert Nomar Leyretana on June 28 led the signing of a joint memorandum order (JMO) on the Procedural Guidelines for the Registration of Patents and Plans Approved by the DENR in the Registry of Deeds and Other Related Matters.

This is in consonance with the DENR-LRA Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1, Series of 2021, which prescribed the full systems linkage and land data exchange between the two agencies in relation to DENR-approved plans and DENR-issued patents submitted for registration in the Registers of Deeds.

Talabis said the new JMO will provide a more coordinated, accurate, and accessible land information system between the DENR-LMB and LRA.

It provides the protocols for land-related transactions of the DENR and LRA, such as the processing and approval of survey plans, verification of lot status, and patent issuance and registration through the integration of the data linkage systems.

Former DENR OIC Secretary Joselin Marcus Fragada said the signing of the JMO is a land industry milestone as the DENR-LRA data linkage is a “progressive step in addressing the fragmented system of land administration and management in the country for a more secure, credible, and streamlined titling processes.”

“We have several land title-issuing authorities in the country, and these agencies have their own separate land information databases. With this fragmented setup of titling and registration, double-titling is prone to happen. This innovation will solve such problems and improve public service delivery,” Fragada said.

Through a software intermediary called Application Programming Interface (API), LMB’s Land Administration and Management System (LAMS) will communicate and exchange land information databases such as maps, survey plans, patents, and lot status with those from LRA’s Philippine Land Registration and Information System (PHILARIS) and seamlessly process land-related transactions securely.

The API will enable land processors to view land records and status in both systems, eliminating discrepancies and the current requirement for applicants to personally acquire clearances and certifications from the DENR and LRA offices.

Talabis said the project is just a start, as the DENR-LMB and LRA are still looking at the other features of the LAMS and PHILARIS that can be linked.

“This JMO is a continuation of our journey towards a better land information system. I believe that this will lead to more reforms in the land administration management system, especially with digitization,” Talabis said.

She said plans for full digitization of land processes are in the works and plans for implementing electronic patents or e-patents to replace the manual judicial form.

To test the efficiency of the system linkage, implementation will be piloted in the National Capital Region, DENR-Region 4-A, Region 7, Region 10, and followed by other regions in the succeeding years. (PIA-NCR)