MANILA, Philippines - Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said yesterday she has ordered the Land Registration Authority (LRA) to look into a questioned annotation into a land title covering the main office of Land Transportation Office (LTO) along East Avenue in Quezon City.
“I will look into that. That is questionable if that is confirmed, so LRA should look into that,” she said in a chance interview.
Through Executive Order 30 issued last March, President Aquino returned the supervision of the LRA to the Department of Justice in a bid to ensure the effective implementation of laws concerning land registration.
The STAR learned that the LTO’s land title bears an entry of annotation dated Jan. 25, 2010 granting co-ownership to its information technology (IT) contractor, Stradcom Corp.
This gives Stradcom, under its president Cezar Quiambao, a stake in any plan of the LTO involving its property. Should LTO decide to dispose the land, it would require the approval of the IT firm, sources said.
De Lima said there may be questions on this setup since a private firm is not allowed to co-own a land registered under a government office.
A source revealed that LTO’s land title is being held Stradcom when it should be with its General Service Section (GSS). The insider said LTO chief Virginia Torres asked for the document but she was told by the GSS that Quiambao had allegedly taken the document.
Following controversies stemming from an intra-corporate dispute in Stradcom and Torres’ leave from office, the LTO will undergo an internal audit under officer-in-charge Racquel Desiderio.
Stradcom vice president for communications Frank Abalos, in a statement sent to The STAR, described De Lima's claim as “just another demolition job and an outright lie.”
He said the DOJ can easily verify it with the Register of Deeds and the LRA.
“The annotation in the title is simply a statement that Stradcom has erected a building and other improvements on the LTO compound to house the LTO IT infrastructure,” Abalos said. – With Rainier Allan Ronda