The Land Registration Authority (LRA) is now checking the origin and history of several uncovered land titles covering some 38.83 hectares of illegally reclaimed areas on the Taguig City side of Laguna Lake, based on the materials provided by the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) to his office, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said.
“I requested them to backtrack the history of the issued OCTs (original certificates of title) and other modes of titling, so we will find out how they were manipulated with the end in view of filing criminal charges against those responsible,” Lacson said.
In Filipino: Lacson: LRA Sinusuri ang mga Land Title na May Kaugnayan sa ‘Suspectedly Illegal’ na Reclaimed Land sa Taguig City
Citing his initial information, Lacson said the OCTs were issued through judicial/ordinary land registration while others were issued through homestead patents.
Lacson stressed that these titles may be declared void ab initio (void from the start) once the PRA initiates forfeiture proceedings in accordance with law.
On Wednesday evening, Lacson said the LRA is examining materials from the PRA to check if land titles were issued over some reclaimed portions of Laguna Lake.
Lacson also said several crates of documents from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) related to anomalous projects in Taguig City were to be turned over to the Office of the Ombudsman.
The latest batch adds to the documentary evidence previously submitted by Lacson and his team to the Ombudsman in connection with their probe into anomalous infrastructure and reclamation projects in Taguig City.
The Ombudsman has been conducting a fact-finding investigation into the Taguig projects and has issued subpoenas to the DPWH, PRA, LRA and the Taguig Registry of Deeds for relevant records.
Lacson’s office earlier turned over evidence from at least five case studies involving anomalous Taguig infrastructure projects, including alleged ghost projects, double appropriations, recycled photographs used for billing, and the alleged use of slope protection project appropriations to fund “unabated and illegal” reclamation activities.
He said the projects are among the matters that should now be examined by the Ombudsman and other government agencies tasked with determining accountability and protecting government property and resources.
Lacson said he and his staff will continue providing the Ombudsman with documents and other evidence gathered from their case studies
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Lacson: LRA Sinusuri ang mga Land Title na May Kaugnayan sa ‘Suspectedly Illegal’ na Reclaimed Land sa Taguig City
Sinusuri na ngayon ng Land Registration Authority (LRA) ang pinagmulan at kasaysayan ng ilang bagong natuklasang land title na sumasaklaw sa hindi bababa sa 38.83 ektarya ng mga ilegal na ni-reclaim na area sa bahagi ng Laguna Lake na sakop ng Taguig City, batay sa mga materyales na ibinigay ng Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) sa kanyang tanggapan, ayon kay Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson.
“I requested them to backtrack the history of the issued OCTs (original certificates of title) and other modes of titling, so we will find out how they were manipulated with the end in view of filing criminal charges against those responsible,” ani Lacson.
Batay sa kanyang paunang impormasyon, sinabi ni Lacson na ang mga OCT ay na-isyu sa pamamagitan ng judicial/ordinary land registration habang ang iba naman ay sa pamamagitan ng homestead patents.
Idiniin ni Lacson na maaaring ideklarang void ab initio (walang bisa mula sa simula) ang mga titulong ito kapag sinimulan ng PRA ang forfeiture proceedings alinsunod sa batas.
Nitong Miyerkules ng gabi, sinabi ni Lacson na sinusuri na ng LRA ang materyales galing sa PRA para makita kung may na-issue na titulo ng lupa para sa na-reclaim na bahagi ng Laguna Lake.
Sinabi rin ni Lacson na ilang crate ng mga dokumento mula sa Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) na may kaugnayan sa mga maanomalyang proyekto sa Taguig City ay nakatakdang i-turn over sa Office of the Ombudsman.
Ang pinakabagong batch ay karagdagan sa mga documentary evidence na nauna nang isinumite ni Lacson at ng kanyang team sa Ombudsman kaugnay ng kanilang imbestigasyon sa mga maanomalyang infrastructure at reclamation project sa Taguig City.
Nagsasagawa na ang Ombudsman ng fact-finding investigation sa mga proyekto sa Taguig at naglabas na ito ng mga subpoena sa DPWH, PRA, LRA at Taguig Registry of Deeds para sa mga kaugnay na rekord.
Nauna nang isinumite ng tanggapan ni Lacson ang mga ebidensya mula sa hindi bababa sa limang case study hinggil sa mga maanomalyang infrastructure project sa Taguig, kabilang ang mga umano’y ghost project, double appropriation, paggamit ng mga recycled na litrato para sa billing, at umano’y paggamit ng pondo para sa slope protection project upang pondohan ang “unabated and illegal” reclamation activities.
Sinabi ni Lacson na kasama ang mga proyektong ito sa mga bagay na dapat ngayong suriin ng Ombudsman at iba pang ahensya ng pamahalaan na may tungkuling tukuyin ang pananagutan at pangalagaan ang mga ari-arian at resources ng gobyerno.
Dagdag niya, patuloy na isusumite niya at ng kanyang staff sa Ombudsman ang mga dokumento at iba pang ebidensyang nakalap mula sa kanilang mga case study.
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