13”‘ CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
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OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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Third Regular Session 
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CCT 10 ??:.:fj 
S. BILL NO. 
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INTRODUCED BY HONORABLE RALPH G. RECTO 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Land is the most tangible and limited resource of any country. It is similarly the 
most valuable commodity priced by its citizenry and most controversial because not 
every person can have access to land. In the Philippines, the country’s 30 million 
hectares of land is shared by the country’s more than 80 million Filipinos. However, not 
all Filipinos have access to these lands much more, own any land. Thus, it is imperative 
that our country’s land resources are effectively and equitably managed not only by the 
State and its agencies but also by its people for the sake of generations to come. 
Because land is a major resource of a country and its people, the utilization of our 
land resources for national and local development is crucial to maximize the benefits 
derived from the utilization, management and ownership of land. The responsibility of 
ensuring that the benefits accruing to the country’s land resources rests with the national 
and local governments. 
In the case of national government, the Department of 
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is mandated to administer, conserve, 
protect and manage almost 15.88 million hectares of forestlands or 52.9% of the 
country’s total land area. 
Likewise, the DENR, through the Land Management Bureau (LMB), is further 
mandated to dispose and issue titles to another 6.0 million hectares of untitled lands that 
has been released and classified as alienable and disposal (A&D) lands. ‘On the other 
hand, the Land Registration Authority (LRA) is responsible for the registration of issued 
titles released by the DENR or judicially decreed lands totaling another 6 million 
hectares. However, both agencies operate on totally different systems of records, 
information and document management systems and are guided by outdated legal 
mandates (e.g. Public Land Act of 1936 and Land Registration Act of 1902/Property 
Registration Decree of 1978) that are not anymore attuned to present-day conditions of 
land administration in the Philippines. 
On the other hand, local government units (LGUs) are the key field managers of 
land resources for both public and private lands. While the DENR and LRA have 
specific mandates on the over-all administration of public and private lands, LGUs 
exercise direct administration, preservation, utilization and allocation of land uses and 
resources at the local levels. In this regard, LGUs have a big stake in the effective and 
efficient management of land resources in their localities because a large part of the local 
revenues generated by the LGUs in their localities come from income from real property 
taxes and land-related transactions such as transfer taxes. 
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A joint study by the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF) and the 
National Tax Research Center (NTRC) of the Department of Finance, reported that from 
the period 2000-2005, that LGUs are losing some PhP 9.5 billion yearly due to poor 
collection efficiency of local property taxes. Among key reasons cited for the poor 
collection of RPT among LGUs are inefficient collection system, understated values of 
assessed real properties compared to real market values and local economic development. 
It is no wonder that many LGUs are dependent on national revenue transfers, particularly 
the yearly internal revenue allotments (IRA), because RPT collection which should be the 
main source of local revenues accounts for a mere 12.5% of the total revenues generated 
by LGUs. 
The proposed Land Resources Administration Reform Act of 2006 aims to 
upgrade, systematize and integrate the administration, management and operations of the 
country’s land resources in both public and private lands. It also aims to improve, 
rationalize and systematize the land records, titling, documentation and information 
systems into an open, updated, and reliable systems. The bill further aims to improve the 
delivery of land-related services to the general public and reduce delays in land document 
processing and releases. And finally, the bill aims to enhance and improve transparency 
and governance in the land resource and administration system by cutting down the 
overly bureaucratic, technically oriented land titling and registration processes in the 
system. 
Some of the main features of the proposed Land Resources Administration Reform 
Act of 2006 are the following: 
Integration of the functions, operations and systems of the D E W S  Land 
Management Bureau (LMB) and the Land Registration Authority into a single 
Land Administration Authority (LAA) under the Office of the President (OP) 
with provincial and city offices; 
Establishment of regional, provincial and city-level Land Adjudication Boards 
(LAB) as quasi-judicial bodies that would resolve and address land-related 
conflicts and cases such as overlapping titles, ownership disputes, transfers 
and exchanges; 
Elevating the management and administration of land resources to the level of 
a Cabinet-secretary with portfolio that would be appointed by the President of 
the Philippines and confirmed by the Commission on Appointments; 
Establishment of an 8-person multi-sectoral Stakeholders’ Advisory 
Committee that shall assist the LAA in the formulation of policies on land 
administration and public land management and monitor its implementation; 
Strengthen the administrative accountability and authority of the LAB to 
administratively address simple clerical and typographical errors in the 
issuance of plans, maps and titles; 
Strengthen fiscal autonomy and eliminate graft and corruption in the lands 
administration sector by allowing the LAA to use its income to support its 
operations and projects, including increases in salaries and provision of 
incentives to LAA personnel. 
The proposed land Resources Administration Reform Act of 2006 hopes to provide 
the necessary foundation to jumpstart a long-delayed and often-neglected but highly 
sensitive problems confronted by almost all Filipino citizens --- ensuring the credibility 
and sanctity of the land they own. While, the proposed bill does not presume to resolve 
all the detailed, complex and multi-dimensional problems pervading the administration 
and management of the country’s most critical yet finite land resources, the proposed 
Land Resources Administration Reform Act of 2006 firmly hopes to provide the impetus 
to take the first critical and serious step to its solution. 
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It is fervently prayed and admonished that the proposed Land Resources 
Administration Reform Act of 2006 be urgently and readily passed into law so that our 
future generations of Filipinos will not have to suffer the negligence and distress suffered 
by our parents and ancestors. 
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13'h CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
6 UCP 10 P ? ' .  9 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
Third Regular Session 
) 
INTRODUCED BY HONORABLE RALPH G. RECTO 
AN ACT 
INSTITUTING REFORMS IN LAND RESOURCE ADMINISTRATION 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. ShortTitle. - This Act shall be known as "The Land Resource 
Administration Reform Act of 2006." 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State to 
institutionalize reforms in land resource administration and management in order to 
optimize and rationalize their contribution to the goals of national development, 
eradication of poverty, and attainment of social, economic, and cultural justice. Towards 
this end, the State shall: 
Provide the leadership and management of reforms in land administration; 
Promote efficient and effective mapping, land survey, classification, 
disposition, registration, and management of private and public lands; 
Undertake a comprehensive and continuing land administration program that 
will make the process and procedures on land registration and titling 
affordable, reliable and expeditious; 
Assist in the attainment of the government's asset reform programs; 
Accelerate and complete the distribution, titling, and registration of alienable 
or disposable lands to provide security of land tenure; 
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Undertake reforms in land administration and management to ensure equitable 
distribution and full utilization and development of alienable or disposable 
lands; 
Improve the efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, and accountability of land 
administration services; 
Rationalize the structure, powers and functions of the different land 
administration agencies and integrate all land administration and registration 
policies, plans, programs and projects of various government agencies to 
increase the efficiency of the land titling system of the government, with 
expeditious delivery of services that are viable with sustainable land 
administration programs and policies; 
Establish a sustainable and viable administration of land through 
computerization of functions and removal of overlaps and duplications in the 
delivery of land administration services; 
Establish an administrative system for the cancellation of duplicate and fake 
titles and the eradication of land grabbing activities; 
Provide accessible, efficient and affordable land administration services to the 
people through the establishment of One-Stop shops nationwide; 
Establish an effective land information system and provide easy and 
affordable access to land information by members of the public; 
Improve the skills of and career opportunities for government employees 
engaged in the provision of land administration services; 
Rationalize and clarify the entitlements of persons to land titles to make the 
process of issuing original titles fast and low-cost; 
Promote and support the development of a national land administration and 
management education system; 
Identify and reduce disincentives to the registration of property transactions; 
Mainstream gender in all aspects of the land administration system; and 
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r) 
Recognize, respect, ensure participation, and assist in the enforcement of land 
related rights of men and women of the basic sectors, as defined in Republic 
Act No. 9425, otherwise known as the “Social Reform and Poverty 
Alleviation Act.” 
SECTION 3. 
terms shall, unless the context indicates otherwise, have the following meanings: 
a) “Alienable and disposable lands” refers to agricultural lands of the public domain 
which have been delineated, classified, and certified as available for disposition 
under the Public Land Act. 
Definition of Terms. - For the purpose of this Act, the following 
b) “Agricultural lands” refers to lands devoted to or suitable for the cultivation of the 
soil, planting of crops, or growing of trees, and not classified as mineral land, 
forestland, or national park, or sub classified as residential land, commercial land, 
or industrial land. 
c) “Automated Registration System” refers to a system using appropriate technology 
for scanning, recording, and land registration using electronic devices to store the 
copy of certificates of title and other document relative thereto. 
d) “Classification and Reclassification” refers to the Act of Congress in setting the 
specific limits of forestlands and national parks and increasing or decreasing their 
boundaries by law, as provided for in Article XII, Section 4 of the 1987 Philippine 
Constitution. 
e) “Consulta and/or Query” refers to the procedure where the Register of Deeds or 
the registrant may elevate the issue o f  registrability of certain instruments to the 
LRA Administrator as defined in Section 117 of Presidential Decree No. 1529 
otherwise known as the Property Registration Decree. 
f) “Director General” refers to the person occupying the position of Director 
General Of the Land Administration Authority created by this Act. 
g) “Land” refers to resources, both man-made and natural, found on the surface, 
below and above the ground, including inland waters and the air therein. 
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h) “Land Administration and Public Land Management” refers to the administration 
of all functions, powers and activities related to the mapping, land survey, 
classification, ownership, disposition, and registration of land titles and deeds, and 
the management of public lands. 
i) “Land Management Bureau (LMB)” refers to a staff Bureau of the Department of 
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). 
j) “Land Management Services (LMS)” refers to the land management sector or 
offices of the DENR at the regional. Provincial, and district level. 
k) “Land registration case” refers to the proceeding, either administrative or judicial, 
for registering the title to, or interest in, a land so that such title or interest 
becomes a matter for public record, and all persons who have interest in the land 
may be informed thereof, actually or constructively, and be bound thereby if they 
make no objections thereto within a specific time. 
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“Land Registration Authority (LRA)” refers to an attached agency of the 
Department of Justice (DOJ), including the Registers of Deeds (ROD). 
m) “National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA)” refers to 
the agency known by that name attached to the DENR. 
n) “President” refers to the President of the Philippines. 
0) “Public Domain” refers to lands that belong to the State, which may either be 
agricultural, forest or timber, mineral or national park as provided for in the 
Constitution. 
p) “Public Lands” refer to lands, which have not been subject to private property 
rights or subject to sale or other modes of acquisition or concession under the 
general laws, and are devoted to public use. 
ARTICLE I1 
CREATION OF THE LAND ADMINISTRATION AUTHORITY 
SECTION 4. Creation of the Land Administration Authority (LAA). - To carry out 
the purpose of this Act, the Land Administration Authority (LAA) is hereby created and 
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placed under the Office of the President. It shall be the primary government agency 
responsible for the land administration and public land management. 
SECTION 5. Powers and Functions of the LAA. - The LAA shall exercise the 
following powers and functions: 
Conduct, integrate and regulate the functions of geodetic and geophysical 
surveys, land classification surveys, mapping, aerial photography, remote 
sensing, management of resource information needed by both public and 
private sectors and research development thereof in accordance with the 
existing laws and internationally accepted norms, procedures and standards; 
Survey, map and maintain data base to support the determination of specific 
limits of forest lands and national parks by Congress as provided under 
Section 4, Article of the Constitution; 
Survey, map, maintain database on, administer, manage and/or dispose of all 
alienable and disposable lands of the public domain and other lands, including 
foreshore and marsh lands, under the provisions of Commonwealth Act, and 
in accordance with existing laws; 
Manage, sell, andor dispose the remaining Friar Lands under the provisions 
of Act No. 1120, as amended, and in accordance with existing laws; 
Manage and dispose lands of patrimonial property of the National 
Government under the provisions of Act No. 3038, or such other Government 
lands as have not been placed under the administration, management, control 
or exclusive use of any other government agency by legislative or executive 
issuance; 
Register original titles to land issued pursuant to Commonwealth Act No. 141 
and subsequent dealings of registered lands under the provisions of Act No. 
496 and Presidential Decree No. 1529, otherwise known as the Land 
Registration Act and the Property Registration Decree, respectively; 
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Conduct, regulate, and approve all types of land surveys including surveys 
intended for the implementation of Commonwealth Act No. 141, Republic 
Act No. 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997 (PRA); 
Prepare, issue, and register all titles to land issued pursuant to Commonwealth 
Act No. 141 and subsequent dealings of registered lands including all types of 
tenure instruments intended for the implementation of the CARL and the 
Pa, 
Determine, fix, and collect reasonable amounts to be charged as 
administration fees, fines, and penalties relative to the implementation of this 
Act; 
Formulate land administration and management policies in accordance with 
existing national laws. 
Promulgate rules, regulations, circulars and other administrative issuances as 
maybe necessary to implement the provisions of this Act; 
Perform such other functions undertaken by the LRAIRoD, LMBILMS, 
DENR-Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (DENR-CARP) National 
Secretariat under P.D. 1529 and C.A. 141, as amended; and 
Perform such other functions as are necessary, proper, and incidental to 
implement the provisions of this Act. 
Whenever any reference is made to the LRARoD, LMB/LMS and DENR 
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (DENR-CARP) National Secretariat under 
E.O. 192, P.D. 1529 and C.A. 141, as amended, pertaining to a duty, power, purpose, 
responsibility, or jurisdiction transferred to the LAA by this Act, it shall be deemed to 
be a reference to, and to mean, the Land Administration Authority and the Director 
General of the LAA, as the case may be. 
SECTION 6. Stakeholders’ Advisory Committee.- The LAA shall be assisted by 
a Stakeholders’ Advisory Committee composed of the following: 
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a) Five ( 5 )  representatives from the basic sectors chosen through the nomination 
process of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), of whom at least two 
(2) shall be women; 
b) Three (3) representatives from the private sector appointed by the President; and 
c) The LAA Director General, as ex-officio member. 
The President shall designate the chairperson from among the members of the 
Committee. Except the LAA Director General, the members of the Advisory 
Committee shall not hold office in the LAA nor receive any salary but shall be 
entitled, for actual attendance during meetings, to such allowances and honoraria 
as are allowed by rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission on Audit. 
SECTION 7. Functions of the Stakeholders’ Advisory Committee.- 
Committee shall advise the LAA on the formulation of policies and policy development 
pertaining to land administration and public land management and shall monitor their 
implementation. It shall submit, within three months following the end of each calendar 
year, a report to the President on its advisory and monitoring activities. 
SECTION 8. Meetings of the Committee. - 
The Chairperson shall convene 
regular meetings of the Committee, which shall be at least once every quarter. Special 
meetings may also be called by the Chairperson or at the initiative of at least three (3) 
members. 
SECTION 9. Secretariat and Logistical Support. - 
General shall provide secretariat and logistical support to the committee. 
The 
The Office of the Director 
ARTICLE I11 
IMPLEMENTING MECHANISM 
SECTION 10. Structure and Organization. - The LAA shall consist oE 
a) 
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Field Offices. 
The Office of the Director General; 
The Offices of the Deputy Directors General; 
The Office of the Assistant Directors General; and 
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SECTION 11. The Director General. - The authority and responsibility for the 
exercise of the mandate of the LAA, the accomplishment of its objectives, and the 
discharge of its powers and functions shall be vested in the Director General, a cabinet 
rank with portfolio, who shall be appointed by the President and subject to confirmation 
by the Commission on Appointments. The appointment shall be for affixed term of four 
(4) years and can be reappointed for another term. Provided: that the total term of the 
original and reappointment shall not exceed eight (8) years. The Director General shall 
have the following functions: 
Advise the President on the promulgation of rules, regulations, and other 
issuances relative to land administration and public land management; 
Establish policies and standards for the efficient and effective operations of 
the LAA in accordance with the programs of the Government; 
Promulgate rules, regulations, and other issuances necessary in carrying out 
the LAA’s mandate, objectives, policies, plans programs and project; 
Exercise control and supervision over all functions and activities of the LAA, 
Delegate authority over all powers, functions and activities of the L a ,  and 
Perform such other functions as may be provided by law or assigned by the 
President. 
SECTION 12. Office of the Director General. - The Office of the Director General 
shall consist of the Director General, his immediate staff, and the Office of the Legal 
Services. 
SECTION 13. Deputy Directors General. - The Director General shall be assisted by 
at least four (4) Deputy Directors General who shall be appointed by the President. At 
least one (1) of the Deputy Directors General shall be a member of the bar or a geodetic 
engineer with at least five (5) years experience in any land administration function. The 
Director General is hereby authorized to delineate, assign, andor reassign the respective 
functional areas of responsibility of the Deputy Directors General. 
A Deputy Director General shall have the following functions: 
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Advise the Director General in the promulgation of administrative orders and 
other issuances with respect to his area of responsibility; 
Exercise supervision over the offices, departments, or operating units and 
officers and employees under his responsibility; 
Promulgate rules and regulations that will efficiently and effectively govern 
the activities of units under his responsibility; 
Coordinate the functions and activities of the units under his responsibility 
with those of other units under the responsibility of other Deputy Directors 
General; 
Exercise authority on substantive and administrative matters related to the 
functions and activities of units under his responsibility as may be delegated 
by the Director General; and 
Perform other functions as may be provided by law or assigned as may be 
delegated by the Director General. 
Section 14. 
Assistant Directors General. - The Director General and Deputy 
Directors General shall be assisted by four (4) Assistant Directors General in the 
formulation, management and implementation of land administration and public land 
management laws, policies, plans, programs, and projects. 
Section 15. 
Administrative Divisions. - The LAA shall be divided into four 
divisions each headed by a Deputy Director General. These divisions shall be: 
a. Corporate Planning and Services - Provides corporate planning and services 
for the LAA as a whole including advice to the Director General on work 
programs and resource allocation within the LAA Budget. It shall also provide 
support services to the LAA Stakeholders Advisory Committee and merge the 
current corporate services of LMB/LMS and LRA. 
b. National Standards and Practices - This division shall combine the Law and 
Clerks of Court Divisions of the LRA. It shall provide core service of LAA 
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reform. It shall also coordinate the overall management of the LAA regional 
network. 
c. Programs - Provides oversight to the delivery of prograndprojects with a 
finite life-span in accordance with specified budgets, outputs and other project 
tasking instructions authorized by the LAA Director General and Deputy 
Directors General within the annual LAA budget and overall work program. It 
shall be responsible for Mobile Project Teams that are tasked with the direct 
management and control of programs and projects. 
d. Operations - Responsible for the oversight of operations of the regional, 
provincial and local service centers. 
Section 16. Field Offices. -The LAA shall establish permanent field offices at 
city and provincial levels. The LAA may also establish additional field offices in a city or 
province as it may determine for the efficient and effective delivery of its services subject 
to the approval of the President: provided, That said additional field offices may be 
abolished by the Director General when no longer necessary. 
The field offices shall undertake, among others, the following functions: 
(a) 
Implement laws, policies, plans, programs, projects, rules and regulations 
of the LAA on land administration and public land management; 
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(c) 
Provide efficient and effective delivery of services to the people; 
Coordinate with field or branch offices of other agencies of the 
government in the region and with local government units in the enforcement of land 
administration and public land management laws and regulations and in the formulation 
and implementation of programs and projects; 
(d) 
Recommend and, upon approval, implement programs and projects on 
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(e) 
Conduct a comprehensive inventory of alienable and disposable lands of 
the public domain and of patrimonial properties and formulate district/provincial/regional 
short and long term development plans for the management, administration, utilization, 
and disposition of such lands toward national development; and 
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Perform such other functions as may be assigned by the Director General 
and/ or as provided by law. 
ARTICLE IV 
LAND ADJUDICATION BOARD 
Section 17. Creation of the Land Adjudication Board (LAB). - There is 
hereby created a Land Adjudication Board (LAB) that shall exercise primary jurisdiction 
to determine and adjudicate land administration and public land management matters. 
The LAB shall be the quasi-judicial body of the LAA and shall have exclusive original 
jurisdiction over all matters involving the implementation of laws, rules and regulations 
on land administration and public land management, and all cases and / or controversies 
arising therefrom, except petitions for the correction of clerical or typographical errors 
committed in writing, copying, transcribing, or typing of an entry in the maps, survey 
plans, and certificate of land titles which shall be administratively addressed by the LAA 
field Offices, except fiuther, cases falling under the jurisdiction of the Department of 
Agrarian Reform (DAR) unless specifically provided herein. 
The LAB shall be under the administrative supervision of the Director General 
and shall be divided into three divisions. Each division shall exercise equal powers, 
independently resolving cases raised on appeal from the decisions of the Local Land 
Adjudication Boards, created pursuant to Section 19 hereof, from Luzon, Visayas, and 
Mindanao: Provided, That the divisions assigned to handle cases from Visayas and 
Mindanao shall hold permanent office in any of the cities therein. 
Section 18. 
Composition. - Each division of the LAB shall be composed of 
three (3) members who shall be appointed by the President for a fixed term of four (4) 
years and can be reappointed for another term. Provided: That the total term of the 
original and reappointment shall not exceed eight (8) years. 
All members of the Land Adjudication Board shall be members of the Philippine 
Bar with at least ten (10) years experience in property and land administration and 
management related matters. 
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The members of each division shall elect their Presiding Officer who shall serve 
for a term of four years. 
Section 19. 
Local Land Adjudication Board. - Local Land Adjudication 
Boards shall be created by the LAB in all provincial and city offices of the LAA. The 
LLAB shall be composed of three (3) members who shall be appointed by the Director 
General for a fixed term of four (4) years and can be reappointed for another two (2) 
years. Provided that the total term of the original and reappointment shall not exceed six 
(6) years. 
The Presiding Officer of the Local Land Adjudication Board shall be a member of 
the Philippine Bar with at least five (5) years experience in property and land 
administration and management related matters. 
Decisions, orders, and resolutions of the Local Land Adjudication Board shall be 
raised on appeal to the LAB. 
Section 20. 
Budget and Administrative Support. -The LAB shall determine 
and propose its budgetary requirements and shall be submitted as part of the LAA’s 
budget request. Disbursements of the approved budget resources shall be the sole 
responsibility of the LAB. Secretariat services shall be provided by the LAA. 
Section 21. 
Proceedings and Procedures. - The LAB shall not be bound by 
technical rules of procedure and evidence but shall proceed to hear and decide all cases, 
disputes, or controversies in a most expeditious manner, employing all reasonable means 
to ascertain the facts of every case in accordance with justice and equity and the merits of 
the case. Toward this end, it shall adopt a uniform rule of procedure to achieve a just, 
expeditious, and inexpensive determination of merits: Provided, That it shall endeavor to 
settle disputes and controversies amicably. 
In the exercise of its functions, the LAB shall have the power to summon 
witnesses, administer oaths, take testimony, require submission of reports, compel the 
production of books and documents and answers to interrogatories, issue subpoena and 
subpoena duces tecum, and enforce its writs through sheriffs or duly deputized officers. It 
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shall punish direct and indirect contempt in the same manner and subject to the same 
penalties as provided for in the Rules of Court. 
Responsible persons shall be allowed to represent themselves or their 
organizations in any proceedings before the LAB: Provided, however, That when there 
are two or more representatives for any individual or group, the representatives should 
choose only one from among themselves to represent such party or group before any 
LAB proceedings. 
Section 22. 
Finality of Determination. - Any case or controversy before the 
LAB shall be decided within thirty (30) days after it is submitted for resolution. Only one 
(1) motion for reconsideration shall be allowed. Moreover, any order, award, ruling, or 
decision shall be final after the lapse of fifteen (15) days from receipt by the parties of a 
copy thereof. 
Section 23. 
Frivolous Appeals. - To discourage frivolous or dilatory appeals 
from the decisions, awards, rulings, or orders, the LAB may impose reasonable penalties 
including, but not limited to, fines or censures upon erring parties. 
ARTICLE V 
JUDICIAL. REVIEW 
Section 24. 
Certiorari. - Any decision, order, award, or ruling of the LAB on 
any dispute or on any matter pertaining to the application, implementation, enforcement, 
or interpretation of this Act and other pertinent laws on land administration and public 
land management may be brought to the Court of Appeals by certiorari within fifteen (15) 
days from the receipt of a copy thereof. 
The findings of fact of the LAB shall be final and conclusive if based on 
substantial evidence. 
Section 25. 
Restraining Order or Preliminary Injunction. - The Court of 
Appeals and Supreme Court of the Philippines shall have jurisdiction to issue any 
restraining order or writ of preliminary injunction against the LAB or any of its duly 
authorized or designated offices in any case, dispute or controversy arising from, 
necessary to, or in connection with the application, implementation, enforcement, or 
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interpretation of this Act and other pertinent laws on land administration and public land 
management. 
Section 26. 
Procedure on Review. - Review by the Court or the Supreme 
Court, as the case may be, shall be governed by the Rules of Court. The Court of 
Appeals, however, may require the parties to file simultaneous memoranda within a 
period of fifteen (15) days from notice, after which the case is deemed submitted for 
decision. 
ARTICLE VI 
TRANSITORY PROVISIONS 
Section 27. 
Transfer of Powers. - The powers and functions of the LAA 
heretofore vested by law in the DENR, DOJ, LRARoD, LMEYLMS and DENR-CARP 
National Secretariat or in any office within or attached to these agencies, are hereby 
transferred to any vested in the Office of the LAA Director General. 
Section 28. 
Transfer of the NAMRIA as an Attached Agency of the LAA. - 
The NAMRIA is hereby attached to the LAA. It shall retain its structure, budgetary 
allocation under the current General Appropriations Act, and all properties, equipment, 
and other facilities necessary in the performance of its mandate. 
Section29. 
Organization of the LAA. - The LAA’s organizational and 
administrative structure and functions and staffing pattern, including the personnel’s 
duties and responsibilities and the appropriate compensation package shall be submitted 
by the Director General within six (6) months upon approval of this act for review and 
approval of the President and shall be fully implemented within a period of six (6) 
months after such approval of the President. 
Section 30. Transfer of Personnel. - To ensure a smooth transition, all 
incumbent personnel of the DENR’s LMBLMS, DENR-CARP National Secretariat and 
its field offices, the DOJ’s LRARoD shall continue to perfom their present duties and 
functions as interim personnel of the LAA until such time, being not later than twelve 
(12) months from the effectivity of this Act, that the regular staff of the LAA, based on 
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shall be appointed by the Director General, or hisher duly authorized representative, on 
the basis of merit, previous permanent appointment, fitness, and seniority. 
Section 31. 
Exemption from Salary Standardization Law - All officials and 
personnel of the LAA including LAB and LLAB shall be exempted from the Salary 
Standardization Law. 
Section 32. 
Integration of LMBLMS, DENR-CARP National Secretariat, 
and LWRoD. - The DENR’s Land Management Bureau, Land Management Services, 
and CARP National Secretariat and its field offices, and the DOJ’s land Registration 
Authority and Register of Deeds, are hereby integrated into a single authority. 
Section 33. 
Separation Pay and Other Benefits. - Personnel who are not 
offered appointment within twelve (12) months upon the effectivity of this Act under the 
new staffing pattern of the LAA on at least equivalent terms and conditions as their 
present employment by reason of duplication or redundancy and those who decline an 
appointment in the LAA by reason of diminution in rank and conditions shall be entitled 
to the separation pay and other benefits in accordance with Sections 10.1 to 10.3 and 13 
of Executive Order No. 366 dated October 4,2004. 
Section 34. 
Reemployment, - Government personnel who are separated as a 
result of the integration of the aforecited offices may apply for positions and be employed 
in other agencies or branches of the government including Government-Owned and/or - 
Controlled Corporations (GOCCs), Government Financial Institution (GFIs), or local 
government units (LGUs). 
Section 35. Unexpended Appropriations and Transfer of Assets. - The 
unexpended balances of appropriations in the current General Appropriations Act and 
other laws in force upon approval hereof, pertaining to, held, or used by, or available to 
the LRA and ROD, LMB, LMS, DENR-CARP National Secretariat and its field offices, 
are hereby transferred to the LAA. 
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Such other unexpended balances of appropriations as may be deemed appropriate 
by the Department of Budget and Management for transfer to the LAA shall also be so 
transferred. 
All real and personal properties, assets, liabilities, records, documents, positions, 
appropriations,' contracts, and agreements which, upon the effectivity of this Act, are 
vested in, or owned, by the LMB/LMS, DENR-CARP National Secretariat and its Field 
Offices, and L m o D  are hereby transferred to the LAA. 
Section 36. Penal Provisions. - Any person who sells forms issued and 
distributed gratuitously under this Act or who, being an officer charged with distributing 
them refuses or fails without sufficient reason, to furnish the same, shall be punished for 
each offense by a fine of not less than one hundred thousand pesos and not more than 
three years, or both, upon the discretion of the Courts. 
Any person, corporation, association, or partnership which, not being qualified or 
no longer authorized to apply for registration purposes, files or induces or knowingly 
permits another person, corporation, association, or partnership to file an application in 
hisiher or its behalf or for hisher or its interest, benefit, or advantage, shall be punished 
for each offense by a fine of not less than one hundred thousand pesos (PlO0,OOO.OO) or 
imprisonment of not less than five (5) years, or both, at the discretion of the Courts: 
Provided, That in case the offender is a corporation, association, or partnership, their 
responsible officials shall be deemed jointly and severally liable. The application shall be 
cancelled. 
Any person who shall, by deceit or fraud, acquire or attempt to acquire lands of 
the public domain or other real property or any right, title or interest, or property right of 
any class to the same, and any person aiding and abetting him therein or serving as a 
means or tool thereof, shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not less than one 
hundred thousand pesos and imprisonment of not less than five years nor more than 
twelve years, or both, in the discretion of the Courts. 
Any person who shall tamper or attempt to tamper any records of the LAA that 
will result in the acquisition of rights, title or interest over real property and any person 
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aiding and abeting him therein or serving as a means or tool thereof, shall, upon 
conviction, be punished by a fine of not less than five hundred thousand pesos 
(P500,OOO.OO) and imprisonment of not less than twelve (12) years, or both, at the 
discretion of the Court. 
For purposes of this Act, if the offender is a public official or government official 
or employee, he or she shall be, in addition to the existing penalties, removed from office, 
forfeit all retirement benefits except the monetary value of accumulated leave credits, and 
be perpetually disqualified from holding any elective or appointive public office. 
Section 37. 
Preservation of Records. - The LAA shall have possession and 
control of all records, books, papers, offices, equipment, supplies, moneys, funds, 
appropriations, land and other property, real or personal, held for the benefit or use of all 
bodies, offices, and officers whose duties, powers, and functions have been transferred to 
and conferred upon the authority. 
Pending a written notice of receipt issued by a duly authorized officer of the 
LAA, it shall be the duty of any and all personnel responsible for, or in possession of 
records relating to the affairs of the LMB, LMS, the DENR-CARP National Secretariat 
and its field offices, the LRA and the ROD to protect and preserve such records. 
Without prejudice to any other penalties provided for by law, any person who 
fails to fulfill hisher duty pursuant to the above paragraph, shall be guilty of an offense 
against the provisions of this Act, punishable by a fine of not less than one million pesos 
@l,OOO,OOO.OO) or imprisonment of not more than five years, or both, upon the discretion 
of the Court. 
Section 38. 
Saving Clause. - All orders, determination, rules, regulations, 
permits, certificates, licenses, and privileges which have been issued, made, or granted 
effective by the former LMB, LMS, LRA, ROD, DENR-CARP National Secretariat and 
its field offices, or their predecessors shall continue to be in effect according to their 
terms until modified, terminated, superseded, set aside, or repealed. 
No suit, action, or other proceeding commenced by or against any officer in his 
official capacity as an officer of any division or unit of the former LMB, LMS, LRA, 
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ROD, DENR-CARP National Secretariat and its field offices, the hctions of which are 
transferred by this Act to the LAA shall abate by reason of this Act. In like manner, no 
cause of action by or against such division or unit or by or against any officer thereof in 
his official capacity shall abate by reason of the enactment of this Act. Causes of actions, 
suits, or other proceedings may be asserted for or against the LAA or such official of the 
LAA as may be appropriate. 
ARTICLE VI1 
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 
Section39. 
Use of Income and Other Sources of Funds. - The LAA is 
hereby authorized to use revenues derived from fees, charges, and other sources to fund 
all its operations and implement its projects to ensure efficient and effective of its 
mandated services and functions. 
The LLA shall be allowed to receive, hold and utilize funds &om grants, 
donations, contributions and other gratuitous sources both foreign and local for the 
implementation of its mandate, programs and projects, subject to existing rules and 
regulations. 
Section 40. 
Assurance Fund. - A special account within the LAA is hereby 
created for the entire proceeds of the Assurance Fund, which shall no longer be paid to 
the National Treasurer as provided for in Section 94 of PD No. 1529. Claims from the 
Assurance Fund shall be heard, decided, and determined by the Land Adjudication 
Board. All pending cases or claims against the Assurance Fund now being handled by the 
Bureau of Treasury, through the Office of the Solicitor General, shall likewise be 
transferred to the Land Adjudication Board. Thereafter, the National Treasurer shall no 
longer be impleaded as party in any action against the Assurance Fund. 
Section 41. 
Indemnification of Officials and Personnel. - The LAA shall 
indemnify all officials and personnel for all costs and expenses reasonably incurred by 
such persons in connection with any civil or criminal actions, suits, or proceedings to 
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which they may be or made a party by reason of the performance of their functions or 
duties, unless they are finally adjudged in such actions or proceedings to be liable. 
In the event of settlement or compromise, indemnification shall be provided only 
in connection with such matters covered by the settlement as to which the LAA is 
advised by an external counsel that the persons to be indemnified did not commit any 
gross negligence or misconduct. 
The costs and expenses incurred in defending the aforementioned action, suit or 
proceedings may be paid by the LAA in advance of the final disposition of such action, 
suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the Director General, 
where in the official or employee shall repay the amount advanced should it ultimately be 
determined by the LAA that such official or employee is not entitled to be indemnified as 
provided in this section. 
Section 42. 
Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within sixty (60) days 
from the effectivity of this Act, the LAA shall promulgate the rules and regulations to 
implement the provisions of this Act. Said rules and regulations shall be submitted to the 
Congressional Oversight Committee for approval. 
Section 43. Congressional 
Oversight 
Committee 
on 
the 
Laud 
Administration Act. - There is hereby created a Congressional Oversight Committee 
composed of seven (7) members from the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural 
Resources and seven (7) members from the House of Representatives Committee of 
Natural Resources, Housing and Urban Development, and Government Reorganization. 
The Congressional Oversight Committee, which shall function for a period not 
more than three (3) years, shall review the implementing rules promulgated by the LAA 
including the procedures on claims against the assurance fund and oversee the 
implementation of this Act. 
The secretariat of the Oversight Committee shall be drawn from the existing 
secretariat personnel of the committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives 
comprising the oversight and the funding for its operations shall be taken from the 
existing budget of the concerned committees. 
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Section 44. 
Separability Clause. - Should any provision of this Act or any 
part hereof be declared unconstitutional or invalid by a Court, the other provisions hereof 
which are not affected thereby, shall remain in force and effect. 
Section 45. 
Repealing Clause. - The pertinent provisions of CARL and IPRA 
with regard to the conduct of survey, approval of survey results, preparation and issuance 
of tenure instruments, and the provisions of PD 1529 pertaining to the assurance fund and 
their implementing rules and regulations are hereby amended or modified accordingly. 
All other laws, decrees, orders, instructions, proclamations, rules and regulations 
or parts thereof, including pertinent provisions of Commonwealth Act No. 141, Act No. 
496, Presidential Decree No. 1529, Executive Order No. 192 and its related rules and 
regulations; Executive Order no. 469 dated February 11, 1981 and the subsequent 
Presidential Memorandum Circular dated 30 September 1988 and their related rules and 
regulations; and the Administrative Code of 1987, which are inconsistent with any 
provision of this Act, are hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
Section 46. 
Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
complete publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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