EXPLANATORY NOTE
The importance of title to land cannot be overemphasized. The main objects of land
title registration are to protect property rights, to facilitate transactions in land,  and to enable
land to be used as collateral for a loan. A title provides incentives for investment in land and
therefore creates an impetus for sustainable economic development.  In order to hasten title
registration and thus spun economic growth, the process should  be simple,  reliable,  prompt
and affordable.
One  of  the  modes  of  acquiring   public  land   is  by  Free  Patent  or  administrative
legalization  of  an  imperfect  title.     Historically,   it  is  intended  to  legalize  and  register  the
undocumented   private  land   rights  of  native-born   Filipinos  who  are  actual  occupants  of
agricultural  lands.  It  is  the  most  expeditious,  popular  and  affordable  mode  of  public  land
disposition  because  the  process  is  administrative  and  inexpensive to  the  applicant since  it
merely recognizes his acquisitive right over the land as actual occupant.
Batas  Pambansa  223  extended  the  grant  of  Free  Patent  to  actual  occupants  of
residential   lands,   however,   it   ceased   to   be   effective   since   it   only   allows   residential
application   up  to   December  31,   1987.   Considering   that  around   80%   of  the   remaining
unregistered   land   parcels   in   the   country   are   residential   land,   the   re-enactment   and
improvement  of  residential  free  patent  will  expedite  mass  titling  of  lands  and  will  in  turn
create economic growth.
The Salient Features of the Bill
•     Extend  Free  Patent to  residential  lands classified/zoned  by the  local  government in
its  land  use  plan  as  residential  and  is  not  needed  for public service  and  public  use
and subject to area limits
•     Reduction of period of occupation to ten (10) years
•     Removal of the restriction on encumbrance on the title
The  proposed  bill  seeks  to  enable  the  land  sector  to  contribute  to  the  sustainable
development, economic growth and  poverty alleviation.   The bill's early enactment will boost
the  Philippine's  role  in the global  movement to sustainable development while  providing  an
improved  access to  land  and  services to the  majority of the  Filipino  people,  especially the
poor  and  marginalized.    I  earnestly  seek  the  immediate  passage  of this  very  urgent  and
important bill.


NINETEENTH CONGRESS                  )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES    )
First Regular session                            )
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
_                                 Introduced by Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez
HouseBillNo.  53`58    .
AN ACT
TO   HASTEN   TITLING   OF   RESIDENTIAL   LANDS   OF   THE    PUBLIC    DOMAIN    BY
EXTENDING   THE   GRANT   OF   FREE   PATENT   TO   RESIDENTIAL   LANDS   UNDER
CERTAIN CONDITIONS
B_e it enacted by tftp Senate and House of Representatives Of the Philippines in
Congress assembled :
SECTION  1.    The   provisions   of   any   law,   rules   or   regulations   to   the   contrary
notwithstanding, any citizen of the  Philippines who is not a  registered owner of a residential
land  and  who for ten  (10) years or prior thereto,  either by himself or through  his  bona fide
predecessor-in-interest,  has  been  actually  residing  on,  and  continuously  possessing  and
occupying, under a bona fide claim of acquisition of ownership, a parcel of residential land of
the  public  domain,  which  is  alienable  or  disposable,  and  who  has  paid  all  the  real  estate
taxes thereon for ten (10) years or prior thereto, shall,  upon application,  be entitled to have
a free patent issued to him for such parcel of land  not to exceed two hundred (200) square
meters in highly urbanized cities; five hundred (500) square meters in other cities; and  1,000
square  meters  in  all  municipalities;  Provided,  That  the  land  applied  for  is  not  needed  for
public service  or public  use  and  has  been  zoned  as  residential  in  the  land  use  plan  of the
local  government  and   provided  further  that  no  free   patent  shall   be  issued   in  townsite
reservations  established  under  Chapter  Xl  of  the  Public  Land  Act:  Provided,  finally,  that
none of the provisions of Presidential  Decree  No.  705 are violated  by the issuance of such
patent.
SECTION 2.    The   application   shall   be   accompanied   with   a   map   and   technical
description  of the  land  applied  for,  along  with  supporting  affidavits  of two  (2)  disinterested
persons who are residents of the city/municipality where the land  is located, attesting to the
truth  of the  facts  contained  in  the  application  to  the  effect  that  the  applicant  thereof  has,
either by himself or through his predecessor-in-interest, actually resided on and continuously
possessed  and  occupied,  under  a  bona  fide  claim  of  acquisition  of  ownership,  the  land
applied  for  at  least  ten  (10)  years  and  has  complied  with  the  requirements  prescribed  in
Section One hereof.
The  pertinent  provisions  of  Chapter XIV,  Title  Vl  of Commonwealth  Act  Numbered
One  hundred forty-one,  as amended,  shall apply to free  patent applications filed  under the
provisions  of  this,  except  that  residential  free  patent  issued  under  this  law  shall  not  be
subject to any legal restrictions on encumbrance, conveyance or alienation.
The  Department of Environment and  Natural  Resources,  upon the recommendation
of the Director of Lands,  shall  promulgate such  rules and  regulations as may be necessary
to carry out the provisions of this Act.
SECTION 3.    All  pending  applications filed  before the effectivity of this Act shall  be
treated as having been filed in accordance with the provisions hereof.


SECTION 4.    Repealing  clause.  - All  laws,  decrees,  executive  orders,  executive
issuances or letters of instruction, rules and regulations, or any part thereof, inconsistent with
or contrary to the provisions of this Act, are hereby deemed repealed, amended or modified
accordingly.
SECTION 5.    Separability Clause. - lf, for any reason or reasons, any part or parts
of this Act shall be declared unconstitutional or invalid by any competent court, other parts or
provisions thereof not affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect.
SECTION 6.     Effectivity Clause.  -This Act shall  take effect fifteen  (15) days after
its publication in two (2) national newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,