Page 12 - Property Rights in the Philippine A Time and Cost Study_July 2017

Costs:
1. Application fee (around PhP 250.00 including documentary stamps) and cadastral cost of about PhP
50.00.
2. Compliance with required supporting document (similar to Sporadic Adjudication, on average PhP
2,000.00 for normal applications)

II. Subdivision Survey

Many, if not majority, of free patent applicants live on lots that have been covered in Cadastral
Surveys as “mother lots”. There can be more than one applicant living on one mother lot—from five to fifty,
even more. DENR requires a separate technical description for each parcel within the mother lot. This is
why subdivision surveys are needed.

Surveyors or Geodetic Engineers (GE) have to get authorization to conduct surveys. They also
have to get copies of existing survey data from the DENR Regional Offices. Once they have agreed with
the lot occupants on a subdivision scheme, they conduct the actual field survey. They have to submit the
field survey returns, in the prescribed format to the DENR Regional Office for approval, together with other
required supporting papers (refer to Annex A for the List of Requirements for Survey Approval). DENR said
that it can approve subdivision surveys in just four days for simple subdivision surveys (less than 10 lots),
but that seems to be the exception. This is possible in cases where there are dedicated person/s assigned
to oversee the approval process of simple subdivisions. The GE gives the approved surveys with technical
descriptions to the lot applicants only after they have been completely paid for the work done.

Subdivision survey in Sporadic Adjudication is limited to one lot while systematic adjudication
covers several adjacent or contiguous lots. Surveys are done faster in sporadic adjudication, but are more
efficient (and cost-effective) for systematic adjudication.

Delays:
1. It takes some time for DENR Regional Office Land Section employees to provide GEs with lot maps
and Lot Data Computation. In almost all Regional Offices, these data are still in paper files.
2. The conduct of survey until its approval takes some time. For individual lots under the sporadic process,
it can take 60 days while with systematic adjudication, it can take longer because it cover more lots to
be surveyed. This includes the time needed to submit other supporting documents.
3. GEs usually do not release approved subdivision surveys to lot occupant without full payment for their
services. Inability to pay results in more delays.

Costs:
1. The cost of subdivision survey depends on the GE association’s tariff, which varies from region to
region. For most residential lots within the allowed areas for Residential Free Patent titling, assuming
regular shape of lots (four corners), this amount could be between PhP 5,000.00 to PhP 10,000.00 per
lot . The survey cost goes down if the GE gets more lots to survey, like in the case where systematic
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adjudication is being conducted. However, the lots must be contiguous or within a sitio or barangay.

III. CENRO Processing

Once all required supporting papers are secured, the CENR Officer officially receives the
application. Each application is assigned a unique number that is required to open a new record in the
Public Land Applications (PLA) component of the LAMS.

12 The Geodetic Engineering Services Rates vary from region to region as approved by each Geodetic Engineers of the Philippines
(GEP) Regional Board. Subdivision survey of residential lots cost a minimum of PhP 5,000.00 per lot in the case of GEP Region X
and a maximum of PhP 10,000.00 in the case of GEP National Capital Region. For other regions, cost of subdivision survey per lot
ranges from PhP 7,000.00 to PhP 9,800.00.

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