Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla directed newly-appointed Assistant Secretary and retired Philippine National Police (PNP) General Eliseo Cruz to take the lead in curbing the brazen selling of fake land titles in Sta. Cruz, Manila.
In the crackdown on syndicates involved in spurious land titles, Assistant Secretary Cruz coordinated with the Land Registration Authority (LRA) and the PNP.
On 26 April 2024, an entrapment operation was conducted by the joint elements of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group - National Capital Region (CIDG-NCR) and the Manila Police District (MPD) which resulted in the arrest of alias "Arnel" and "Romeo."
Pursuit operations are still being conducted against the other suspects "Perlita" and "Guillermo".
With the proliferation of fake land titles around, Remulla strongly urged the public 'to be wary of these criminal syndicates and to verify first the authenticity of the titles before falling into their ploy.'
"Land acquisition is the greatest way of securing one's future, family and loved ones, hence, defrauding land titles is a very serious offense which should be dealt with very serious consequences. Sellers of fake titles will feel the full wrath of the law. The country's economic stability has never been more important as we continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Stop fooling the Filipino people or face the consequences," Remulla sternly warned.
Remulla ordered the filing of appropriate charges against those arrested suspects.