DENR Issues Memo for Faster Titling of Philippine Residential Lands

Faster Land Titling Sought by DENR for Residential Properties in the Philippines

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has issued an order for a faster titling process of residential lands in the Philippines. Untitled properties are often the cause of family and land disputes as well as delays in infrastructure projects across the country. Therefore, DENR aims to speed up land titling to resolve these common problems for owners.

What Is Department Administrative Order No. 2025-35?

The Department Administrative Order No. 2025-35 was created to address the loopholes in the Residential Free Patent Act or Republic Act No. 10023’s implementation. According to this law, Filipino citizens who are actual occupants of residential lands can apply for free patent titles based on the area size. However, the residential land must not be needed for any public use.

Causes of Land Titling Issues

According to the DENR, many families encountered difficulties in titling their lands due to a lack of proof of occupation. The proof of occupation of the property or continuity of possession is a legal document that proves your ownership of the land property. Moreover, the department also mentioned that many Filipinos find it difficult to apply for a title as they are not currently living in the said property because of marriage or work issues. Some may also not be living in the residential area currently due to typhoons and other natural disasters.
​
Now, the memorandum states that actual occupants are not just the people currently living in the residential land. It also recognizes the “persons who, by reason of employment/marriage, are absent from the subject lot.” In addition, actual occupants are people “whose physical occupation of the subject lot is interrupted due to force majeure, fraud, or employment of force or intimidation.”

New Processing via Electronic Filing

Under the new memo, the processing period now takes within 120 days. It also allows electronic filing, and you can check it online through the Land Administration and Management System. Deferred submission of the LRA certification is permitted within 90 days of filing. However, the application fee remains at PHP 150, while the removal of the cadastral survey cost has been implemented to protect applicants from excessive and unauthorized charges, especially those of low-income families.
​
Meanwhile, LAMS is the digital information system recently launched to unify land records and data in the Philippines for much easier and faster processing of residential land titles as well as tracking of land data. The new system is said to reduce processing time for land survey approval, which usually takes up to six months to one year. Now, it’s expected to only take up to five working days, given that the application for subdivision survey has completed the requirements.

Final Thoughts

So you are now informed of the latest developments in the Philippine residential area titling process. With complete requirements, you can get the title within 5 working days or up to 120 days at the most. The key is to ensure you have all the necessary papers and payments to avoid delays and other issues. Visit REALS.PH for an exclusive listing of luxury condominiums in Baguio City and other locations nationwide.