Page 7 - Property Rights in the Philippine A Time and Cost Study_July 2017

Bearing these differences in mind, the costs and timelines cited in this study are much lesser than
in this report. The LAMP study does not mention the cost of subdivisions surveys. Interestingly, this study
also cites the hiring of “a person to secure their titles for them. Their average payment per lot was PhP
9,382.35, or equivalently, PhP 0.82 per square meter.”

Study on the cost and time to secure and issue free patent titles under LAMP 2 and DENR-CARP
funded titling procedures

The second leg of implementation of LAMP, LAMP 2, seeks to increase the level of tenure security
in the urban and rural areas of Bohol, Bukidnon and Leyte. LAMP 2 was able to speed up the titling process
of all alienable and disposable lands.

This study documented and compared the processing time and cost to secure and issue free patent
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titles under the LAMP 2 and traditional DENR-CARP – funded land titling procedures and identified areas
for improving the delivery of free patent titling activities. Undertaken by the Development Authority of the
Philippines’s Center for Governance through its Local Development Office, the study covers agricultural
free patents registered and issued by the RODs of Bohol and Bukidnon in 2009.

Results show that the cost of issuing and securing a free patent title under LAMP 2 is lower than
that of CARP. The government spends more for the LAMP 2 free patent titling program than CARP. This is
beneficial to the applicants as the burden of spending for titling their lands is carried by the government and
not by the applicants. Data on the cost implication on the part of the applicant based on records and
interviews would support this premise that LAMP 2 has the least cost implication on the applicant than
CARP when it comes to accessibility and affordability. It is also found in the study that applicants are most
satisfied with the procedures under the LAMP 2. However, this is only true during the implementation
duration of the project.

In terms of timeline to secure and issue free patent titles, it was noted that LAMP 2 indeed speeds
up the process, from Adjudication to Title Issuance, compared to CARP. For example, in Bohol, in 10
months, almost all (98.95%) of the applicant have received their LAMP free patent titles compared to
65.91% of claimants under CARP. It was also noted in this study that setting up temporary field offices
closer to the applicants made the process more efficient and more productive, and reduced application
costs, particularly in transportation.

It is also worth noting that CARP beneficiaries had to pay for the surveyor’s fee, while LAMP 2
beneficiaries did not.

Through LAMP 2, ROD is obligated to distribute the titles to the claimants unlike in CARP wherein
applicants had to personally get their titles at ROD. The traditional practice is that clients have to personally
obtain their titles at the ROD which exposes both client and service provider to certain corruption
vulnerabilities that may cause delays in claiming or releasing titles. The current ROD registration process
still involve applicants going to ROD to claim their title.

DENR Region VII Citizen’s Charter

In compliance with the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007, DENR VII published a “Citizen’s Charter”. This
describes how the public can avail of their services, including (Process No. 9”, getting a Residential Free
Patent:

1. Inquire Status of Lot Being Applied for;
2. File application with complete supporting documents;
3. Pay corresponding fee and documentary stamp; and

4 A government program which aims to distribute agricultural lands to landless farmers.

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