CEBU CITY, Oct. 30 (PNA) — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 has issued a total of 11, 222 land titles as of October 23 in Central Visayas, an official said.
DENR 7 Regional Executive Director Dr. Isabelo R. Montejo said of the total number of land titles issued, 9, 408 titles were mainly agricultural lands handed in to farmer owners in four provinces in the region while the other 1, 814 titles were all residential free patents.
Cebu received 1,583 agricultural patents and 358 residential patents; Bohol with 7,174 and 985; Negros Oriental with 360 and 400; and Siquijor with 291 agricultural land titles and 71 residential patents.
Montejo said their accomplishment reached 94 percent against the target of issuing 10,000 agricultural land titles and 70 percent for issuing residential titles against a target of 2,580 2015.
“The patent issuance and distribution is a priority program that the DENR has been putting its energy and resources on aside from the other equally important one like the national greening program (NGP),” Montejo said.
Montejo said he has directed the provincial and community environment and natural resources officers in the four provinces to observe strictly the required time frame in accepting, processing and releasing of the said documents.
“Applications should be acted very promptly in accordance with the existing policies and should not be kept in a drawer and applications with incomplete requirements should be returned immediately with appropriate notifications for the applicant to comply with,” Montejo said.
Montejo also reiterated his call to the public to transact only with authorized personnel .
He said the public should report immediately any abuses or illegal transactions committed by DENR 7 personnel particularly on land titling fixing like soliciting a certain amount outside of the required or legal fees. (PNA)