DENR grants residential and agri land patents
FILE: A female farmer in Morong, Bataan on 1 September 2023. The town of Morong is considered an agricultural and tourism area, boasting of fertile lands for farming, as well as having pristine beaches. | Photo by Jonas Reyes.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region 6 on Thursday reported its continued issuance of residential and agricultural free patents to qualified beneficiaries as it lays out accomplishments from July 2022 to October 2023.
So far under the term of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the DENR Reg. 6 said that during the said period, DENR field offices in Western Visayas distributed 1,847 residential free patents with a total area of 55.4457 hectares (has.).
In Aklan province, 375 patents were distributed covering a total land area of 13.516 has; Antique with 385 for 11.2582 has.; Capiz with 125 for 3.6418 has.; Guimaras with 97 for 5.024 has.; Negros Occidental with 357 for 7.0739 has.; and Iloilo, having the lion's share with 508 issued residential free patents with a total land area of 14.9318 has.
For the agricultural free patents, Aklan had the greatest number of patents issued at 674 with a total area of 280.6157 has.
Iloilo was granted 452 patents with an area of 318.9385 ha.; Antique with 273 covering 181.3425 has.; Capiz with 178 patents for a total area of 216.724 has.; Guimaras with 89 and an area of 83.9795 has.; and Negros Occidental with 103 patents for a span of 84.5889 has.
In total, 1,769 agricultural patents were issued in the region with a total area of 1166.1891 has in the same period.
Combining both residential and agricultural free patents issued, a total of 3,616 patents with a total area of 1221.6348 has. were granted to applicants in Region 6 for the past one year and three months since President Marcos' term started.
"Granting of free patents for agricultural and residential lands is one of DENR's responsibilities in serving the people and giving them rights to own these spaces provided that they meet the requirements. We help empower our beneficiaries by making them landowners," Regional Executive Director Livino B. Duran said.
Republic Act No. 11573 signed in 2021 by then President Rodrigo R. Duterte is the new law that governs the grant of agricultural and residential free patents. It aims to improve the process of confirmation concerning imperfect land titles and amends Commonwealth Act No. 141 known as the "Public Land Act" and PD No. 1529 or the "Property Registration Decree".