SENATE OF THE PHILIPPINES 
SIXTEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
) 
) 
) 
SENATE 
Senate Bill No. __ 225~ 
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Introduced by SENATOR JOSEPH VICTOR G. EJERCITO 
AN ACT IMPOSING STIFFER PENALTIES FOR FALSIFICATION OF 
CERTIFICATES OF LAND TITLE OR ANY APPLICATION, DEED, 
INSTRUMENT OR SUPPORTING DOCUMENT, REASONABLY 
CONNECTED WITH AND CALCULATED TO CAUSE THE ISSUANCE OF 
A CERTIFICATE OF LAND TITLE, CLASSIFYING THE SAME AS A 
HEINOUS OFFENSE INVOLVING ECONOMIC SABOTAGE IF THE 
VALUE OR AGGREGATE VALUE OF THE LAND IS AT LEAST TEN 
MILLION PESOS IP 10,000,000.00). AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE 
ARTICLES 171 AND 172 OF ACT NO. 3815, AS AMENDED, 
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE REVISED PENAL CODE AND FOR 
OTHER PURPOSES 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Torrens System of Registration is the most effective measure to 
guarantee integrity of land titles. The best evidence of ownership of land or interest 
therein is the Certificate of Title issued under the System. Certificates of Title are 
supposed to be indefeasible and incontrovertible. Titles, once registered, should not 
thereafter be impugned, altered, changed or modified, except in direct proceedings 
allowed by law. Otherwise, all security in registered titles would be meaningless. 
Accordingly, persons dealing with land or any interest therein are required to put 
full faith and credit on what appears on the face of the Title. 
Unfortunately, in recent times, there has been alarming increase in the 
incidents of fake or falsified titles. Worse, it appears that the concerned public 
officials in connivance with private individuals issued these spurious Titles. If this 
illegal practice is allowed to continue, our country will be flooded with fake or 
falsified Titles each inflicting harm on the integrity of the System, to the detriment of 
the country's economic stability and security. 


As our laws stand today, it is Presidential Decree No. 1529, otherwise known 
as the Property Registration Decree, which is the primary piece of legislation that 
governs land registration. It amended and codified the various laws relative 
registration of properties. Of course, provisions of all other related laws, such as 
Commonwealth Act No. 141, Act No. 496 and Presidential Decree No. 27, which are 
not inconsistent therewith still continues to be in force and effect. 
Regrettably, while the Property Registration Decree, in its whereas clauses, 
acknowledged the need 'to strengthen the Torrens System' and the need to adopt 
safeguards to prevent anomalous titling of property, it failed to institute penal 
provisions, in case of violation thereof. Thus, the law lacks 'teeth' to accomplish its 
goals and objectives. A person responsible for the issuance of a fake or falsified Title 
may only be held criminally liable for perjury under Article 183 of the Revised Penal 
Code, and/or Falsification of Public Documents under either Article 171 or Article 
172 of the same Code. The penalty for perjury is a mere arresto mayor in its 
maximum period to prision correccional in its minimum period. On the other hand, 
the maximum penalty imposable for falsification is a mere prision mayor and a fine 
not to exceed P 5,000.00. 
This proposed legislative measure seeks to remedy and stop the nefarious 
practice of anomalously titling land, amending for the purpose the provisions of 
Article 171 and 172 of the Revised Penal Code, by increasing its penalty, if the 
falsification involves a Certificate of Land Title or any Land Patent Application, deed, 
instrument or documents in support thereof, reasonably connected with and 
calculated to cause the issuance of a Certificate of land Title. In addition, the offense 
shall be deemed a grave offense involving economic sabotage if the fair market value 
of the land as shown by its Tax Declaration issued by the City or Provincial Assessor 
or the Zonal Valuation as determined by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, 
whichever is higher, or the aggregate value thereof, where the falsification or series 
or combination of falsifications involves more than one (1) Title is at least Ten 
Million Pesos (P 10,000,000). 
In view of the foregoing, the passage of the measure is earnestly sought. 
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JOSEPH VICTOR G. EJERCITO 


SENATE OF THE PHILIPPINES 
SIXTEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
I 
) 
) 
SENATE 
Senate Bill No. 
2251 
Introduced by SENATOR JOSEPH VICTOR G. EJERCITO 
Sefudl' 
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AN ACT IMPOSING STIFFER PENALTIES FOR FALSIFICATION OF 
CERTIFICATES OF LAND TITLE OR ANY APPLICATION, DEED, 
INSTRUMENT OR SUPPORTING DOCUMENT, REASONABLY 
CONNECTED WITH AND CALCULATED TO CAUSE THE ISSUANCE OF 
A CERTIFICATE OF LAND TITLE, CLASSIFYING THE SAME AS A 
HEINOUS OFFENSE INVOLVING ECONOMIC SABOTAGE IF THE 
VALUE OR AGGREGATE VALUE OF THE LAND IS AT LEAST TEN 
MILLION PESOS (P 10,000,000.00), AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE 
ARTICLES 171 AND 172 OF' ACT NO. 3815, AS AMENDED, 
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE REVISED PENAL CODE AND FOR 
OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Section 171 of Act No. 3815, as amended, otherwise 
known as, the Revised Penal Code, is hereby amended to read as follows: 
"Article 171. Falsification by public officer, employee or notary 
or ecclesiastic minister. - The penalty of prision mayor and a fine 
not to exceed 5,000 pesos shall be imposed upon any public 
officer, employee, or notary who, taking advantage of his official 
position, shall falsify a document by committing any of the 
following acts: 
xxxxxx 


" 
THE PENALTY OF RECLUSION TEMPORAL AND A FINE OF P 
50,000 SHALL BE IMPOSED IF THE DOCUMENT FALSIFIED IS A 
CERTIFICATE 
OF 
LAND 
TITLE 
OR 
ANY 
LAND 
PATENT 
APPLICATION, DEED, INSTRUMENT OR DOCUMENT IN SUPPORT 
THEREOF, REASONABLY CONNECTED WITH AND CALCULATED 
TO CAUSE THE ISSUANCE OF A CERTIFICATE OF LAND TITLE. 
PROVIDED THAT, THE PENALTY OF RECLUSION PERPETUA 
SHALL BE IMPOSED IF THE FAIR MARKET VALUE AS SHOWN BY 
ITS TAX DECLARATION ISSUED BY THE CITY OR PROVINCIAL 
ASSESSOR OR ZONAL VALUATION AS DETERMINED BY THE 
COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, OR AGGREGATE 
VALUE THEREOF, WHERE THE FALSIFICATION OR SERIES OR 
COMBINATION THEREOF INVOLVES MORE THAN ONE (1) TITLE 
IS AT LEAST TEN MILLION PESOS (P 10,000,000.00) 
SECTION 2. Article 172 of Act No. 3815, as amended, otherwise 
known as, the Revised Penal Code, is hereby amended to read as follows: 
"Article 172. Falsification by private individuals and use of 
falsified documents. - The penalty of prision correccional in its 
medium and maximum periods and a fine of not more that 5,000 
pesos shall be imposed upon: 
(1) Any private individual who shall commit any of the 
falsifications enumerated in the next preceding article in any 
public or official document or letter of exchange or any other kind 
of commercial document; 
PROVIDED, THAT, THE PENALTY OF PRISION MAYOR AND 
A FINE OF TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND PESOS (P 25,000.00) SHALL 
BE IMPOSED IF THE DOCUMENT FALSIFIED IS A CERTIFICATE 
OF LAND TITLE OR ANY LAND PATENT APPLICATION, DEED, 
INSTRUMENT 
OR 
DOCUMENT 
IN 
SUPPORT 
THEREOF, 
REASONABLY CONNECTED WITH AND CALCULATED TO CAUSE 
THE ISSUANCE OF A CERTIFICATE OF LAND TITLE. PROVIDED 
THAT, THE PENALTY OF RECLUSION PERPETUA SHALL BE 
IMPOSED IF THE FAIR MARKET VALUE AS SHOWN BY ITS TAX 
DECLARATION 
ISSUED 
BY 
THE 
CITY 
OR 
PROVINCU\.L 
ASSESSOR, OR ZONAL VALUATION AS DETERMINED BY THE 
COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, OR AGGREGATE 
VALUE THEREOF, WHERE THE FALSIFICATION OR SERIES OR 
COMBINATION THEREOF INVOLVES MORE THAN ONE (1) TITLE 
IS AT LEAST TEN MILLION PESOS (P 10,000,000.00). 


" 
CERTIFICATE OF LAND TITLE FOR PURPOSES OF THIS 
ARTICLE AND THE IMMEDIATE PRECEDING ARTICLE REFERS 
TO EVIDENCE OF OWNERSHIP ISSUED PURSUANT TO THE 
ORD:f!;R OF THE COURT OVER REGISTERED LAND OR THE 
MUNIMENT 
OF 
TITLE 
ISSUED 
BY 
A 
GOVERNMENT 
ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCY FOR THE CONVEYANCE OF SOME 
PORTION OF PUBLIC DOMAIN. IT INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT 
LIMITED 
TO 
ORIGINAL 
CERTIFICATES 
OF 
TITLE 
(OCT), 
TRANSFER CERTIFICATES OF TITLE (TCT) , CERTIFICATES OF 
LAND OWNERSHIP AWARDS (CLOA) , LAND PATENTS, SALES 
PATENTS, HOMESTEAD PATENTS, AND FREE PATENTS. 
(2) XX XXX ..... 
SECTION 2. If any provision of this Act shall be declared invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remaining part or provisions not otherwise affected 
shall remain in force. 
SECTION 3. Any law, decree, ordinance, administrative circulars 
not consistent with any provision of this Act is hereby amended, repealed 
or modified accordingly. 
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
complete publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) 
newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved,