Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTA’
Quezon City, Metro Manila

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS,
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No.8 330

Introduced by: REPRESENTATIVE MAGNOLIA ROSA ANTONINO-NADRES

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Department of Education (DepEd) revealed during the budget hearing that
there are 46,000 public and elementary schools in the country, of which 41,924 public
schools are squatting on various goverment and privately-owned lands. There are only
4,070 public school sites which sit on titled lands of which 1,908 are.titled under the
DepEzd, 1,816 held by local government units and 348 school sites were granted under
various presidential decrees. 2

Cognizant of the problem conceming the possible ejection of numerous schools
from untitled lands being used as‘school sites, the Estrada Administration then has
included in its legislative agenda the passage of a law providing for the registration of all
lands occupied by the DepEd as public schools sites. However, the summary titling of
public school sites did not materialize as the Estrada Administration did not last long to
see the realization of such a valuable program

The controversy generated by the ejection of the Cecilio Apostol Elementary
School from the land it has occupied for several decades refused to die down due
allegedly to anomaly that attended the sale by its owner, the local goverment of
Caloocan City, to Gotesco Properties which until now remains pending in coyrt, The
ejection must serve as an ever-present reminder to legislators due mainly to the fact that it
was a very painfull lesson to leam due to the displacement of thousands of innocent
schoolchildren. Likewise, only recently in Gapan City in Nueva Ecija, the Altemative
Learning Center, which was constructed through the initiative of the Filipino-Chinese
Chamber of Commerce in 2008 was demolished in 2012 by the local government of
Gapan City, which owned the property,


Due to the significant number of untitled lands being used as school sites, there
are numerous numbers of schools which are up for demolition that remain unreported and
this situation is too serious to be ignored.

In order to address this problem, this bill therefore seeks to provide for a summary
titling of all lands being used as school sites throughout the country. This will certainly
provide DepEd with direct control and supervision over the land occupied by public
school for the great benefit of public schoolchildren

In view of the foregoing reasons, the approval of this bill is eamestly sought.

wk, ROSA ANTONINO-NADRES

Representative
Fourth District, Nueva Ecija



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No. 8390

Introduced by: REPRESENTATIVE MAGNOLIA ROSA ANTONINO-NADRES

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE SUMMARY TITLING OF ALL LANDS BEING
OCCUPIED AS PUBLIC SCHOOL SITES UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION (DepEd) AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives
of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Summary Titling of
Public School Lands Act of 2013”.

SEC.2. Mandatory Titling of School Sites. ~ All lands being used as public
school sites that were acquired by the DepEd either by purchase, donation or exchange,
but the registration of their titles have not been perfected, shall forthwith be registered
under the DepEd

All lands owned by local government units, which have been used as public
school sites for at least thirty (30) years shall be donated to the DepEd and shall forthwith
be registered under its name.

SEC. 3. Registration of Land Titles. — The Land Registration Authority (LRA),
in coordination with the DepEd, is hereby directed to register all lands described in the
immediately preceding Section within one (1) year from the approval of this Act:
Provided, however, That, the registration of lands being used as public school sites by
mere tolerance of the landowner, requires a written manifestation from the latter of his
intention to donate or to sell the property to the DepEd within two (2) years from the
approval of this Act: Provided, further, That failure of the landowner to act within the
prescribed period shall mean voluntary act of donating the subject property to the DepEd,
which shall therefore constitute a waiver of his right to object to the registration of the


said property: Provided, finally, That, in case the landowner decides to sell or refused to
sell the property used as public school sites, the following rules shall apply:

a. In case of a negotiated sale, the value of the property shall be determined by
the local assessor on the basis of its current assessed value; and

b. In case of refusal to sell, the property shall be subject to expropriation
proceeding and its value shall be determined by a competent court

In case of an adverse ruling in an expropriation proceeding, no ejection shall take
place within a period of five (5) years after final judgment.

SEC. 4. Appropriations. ~ The amount necessary to carry out this Act shall be
charged against the appropriations of the DepEd of the year following its enactment into
law and thereafter.

SEC. 5. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and
regulations which are inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed, amended or
modified accordingly.

SEC. 6. Effectivity Clause. ~ This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in any newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,