PASAY CITY -- Filipino farmers can now easily secure land titles with Republic Act No. 11573, a newly enacted law authored by Senator Richard J. Gordon, which simplifies the procedure and requirements in granting land titles to help rural farmers obtain land certificates.

“We welcome the passage of this law and we are glad that we can be able to help our rural farmers to secure their land titles. If we allow our farmers to have property rights, we are giving them an opportunity to improve their lives as they can use land as collateral in order to borrow more capital and further improve their lot,” said Gordon.

The present law governing land titles in the country requires the production of a copy of the original classification approved by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary, as well as a City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) Certification, that should be accompanied by an official publication of the DENR Secretary’s issuance declaring that the land is alienable and disposable.

These requirements have been difficult to secure that the demands to present proof of property rights before the courts are stringent.

RA 11573 addresses the difficulties encountered in proving ownership since 1945 by removing the need for the DENR Secretary’s certification and the barriers of proving ownership.

It also synchronizes and shortens the period of possession required for perfection of imperfect titles from 74 years to 20 years, and disregards the deadline set on December 31, 2020 for the filing of application of agricultural free patents.

“Land title is a clear proof of ownership and is important to protection of one’s property rights,” Gordon stressed.

“Property rights are important to the country’s growth and development. Unclear and unenforceable rights to property could lead to underinvestment, undervalued properties, land grabbing, fake titling, lack of access to credit and certainly, poverty,” he added.  (OSRG)