FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
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OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This bill seeks to amend Section 110 of Presidential Decree No. 1529 known as 
the Property Registration Decree to relieve real property owners the burdensome and 
onerous task of resorting to judicial action for the reconstitution of their Torrens 
certificates of title that get lost or destroyed while in the custody of the Register of Deeds. 
To date, it is not unusual to see petitions for reconstitution of lost or destroyed 
certificates of title clogging the dockets of our courts all filed by the registered owners 
themselves though admittedly, they are not responsible for the loss or destruction of their 
original certificates of title as these are in the possession and custody of the Register of 
Deeds of the place where subject property is located at the time of loss or destruction. 
Compounding their woes of having to go through tedious court proceedings is the fact 
that such petitions entail expensive cost in the form of court charges and lawyer’s fees. 
While original certificates are reposed in the Office of the Register of Deeds 
supposedly for safekeeping and protection, it is also in such places where the certificates 
of titles, ironically, get lost or suffer destruction. Hence, it is grossly unfair and 
prejudicial on the part of the registered property owners to undergo the tedious court 
process filing the petition. 


This bill seeks to rectify this mistake by amending Section 110 of Presidential 
Decree No, 1529 and direct instead the Register of Deeds to be the proper party to initiate 
the filing of petitions for reconstitution of lost or destroyed owner’s certificate of title. 
This is a Senate counterpart bill to the one filed in the House of Representatives 
by Representative Rodriguez D. Dadivas. 


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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
AN ACT AMENDING SECTION 110 
OF PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 1529 OTHERWISE KNOWN 
AS THE PROPERTY REGISTRATION DECREE 
Be it enacted by the Senate und the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Section 1 10 of Presidential Decree No. 1529, otherwise known as the 
Property Registration Decree is hereby amended to read as follows: 
“SECTION 110. Reconstitution of lost or destroyed original of Torrens title. - 
Original copies of certificates of title lost or destroyed in the offices of the Register of Deeds as 
well as liens and encumbrances affecting the lands covered by such titles shall be reconstituted 
judicially insofar as not inconsistent with this Decree. X X X X 
“THE PETITION FOR JUDICIAL RECONSTITUTION OF LOST OR DESTROYED 
ORIGINAL CERTIFICATES OF TITLE SHALL RE FILED BY THE REGISTER OF DEEDS 
OF THE PLACE WHERE THE LAND IS SITUATED UPON THE REQUEST OF THE 
REGISTERED OWNER(S), COPIES THEREOF SHALL BE FURNISHED TO THE LAND 
REGISTRATION AUTHORITY (LRA) AND THE REGISTERED OWNER(S). 
“THE SAID PETITION SHALL BE VERIFIED AND SHALL BE PUBLISHED IN A 
NEWSPAPER OF GENERAL CIRCULATION ONCE A WEEK FOR THREE (3) 
CONSECUTIVE WEEKS FROM THE DATE OF FILING. X X X 
“NO PETITION FOR JUDICIAL RECONSTITUTION SHALL BE APPROVED 
UNLESS THE REGISTERED OWNER(S) SHALL HAVE IN POSSESSION THE OWNERS 
DUPLICATE CERTIFICATE OF TITLE OF THE LOST TORRENS TITLE. 


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Notice of all hearings of the petition for judicial reconstitution shall be given to the 
ADMINISTRATOR OF THE LAND REGISTRATION AUTHORITY (LRA) AND THE 
REGISTERED OWNER(S). No order of judgment ordering the reconstitution of a certificate of 
title shall become final until the lapse of thirty days from receipt by the ADMINISTRATOR OF 
THE LAND REGISTRATION AUTHORITY (LRA) of a notice of such order or judgment 
without any appeal having been filed by the said official.” 
SECTION 2. The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act shall be 
included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following its enactment into law and 
thereafter. 
SECTION 3. Separability Clause. - If any provision, or part hereof is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
valid and subsisting. 
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SECTION 4. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or inconsistent 
with, the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
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Approved, 
SECTION 5. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.