Efficient land distribution to alleviate poverty - DENR chief

MANILA, Philippines - Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Horacio Ramos proposed that the government come up with an efficient system for the administration and distribution of land to eliminate poverty in the country.

“Land is a very important natural resource. Under the environment of good governance and effective land administration system, land can serve as an important asset and a catalyst for poverty reduction and economic development,” Ramos said.

He said land rights that provide security of tenure and facilitate broad private ownership would enable society to develop land trading practices and create land markets.

Ramos said the country’s present land administration is “messy,” characterized by land disputes, double issuance of titles, and fake titles caused by outdated and inconsistent land laws.

He said the government has launched the Land Administration and Management Project (LAMP), with support from the World Bank (WB) and the Australian Agency for International Development (USAID).

LAMP was implemented starting in 2001 in order to pursue strategic reforms in the land sector through an improved security of tenure and to foster an efficient land market in the urban and rural areas in the country.

Land Management Bureau director Allan Barcena said under the project, the government has achieved significant gains through reforms made the in key components of the land sector. These are the introduction of innovations and development of technologies in land survey and titling, land valuation and land information management; improved capacity building in the land sector in terms of trainings, education, and research and development; and improved partnership with stakeholders.

Ramos said that in terms of policy reforms, LAMP was responsible for the approval of the Free Patent Act on Residential Lands or Republic Act 10023, which is expected to benefit some 39 million Filipinos occupying untitled residential lands throughout the country; as well as the passage of the Real Estate Act, which aims to professionalize the real estate practice in the Philippines.

“I am also happy to announce that I have already approved the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of RA 10023 and the DENR administrative order on the establishment of the Center for

Land Administration of the Philippines designed to promote the use of LAMP innovations and technologies,” Ramos said during the recently held Land Sector Summit.