DENR issues order for faster, fairer residential land titling

Residential land titling is now faster and fairer as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issued updated rules that cut processing time, allow electronic filing, and reduce costs.

In a statement on Tuesday, the DENR said its Administrative Order No. 2025-35 "overhauls" the country’s residential free patent system.

“It enforces a 120 day processing period, allows electronic filing and tracking through the Land Administration and Management System (LAMS Philippines), and permits deferred submission of the Land Registration Authority certification for up to 90 days,” the DENR said.

“The Order also retains the P150 standardized application fee and removes cadastral survey costs, protecting applicants – especially low income families – from unauthorized or excessive charges,” it added.

According to the DENR, millions live on land that has been passed down through generations but still without titles due to rigid rules, unclear requirements, or lack of access to government services.

The agency pointed out that untitled homes cannot be used as loan collateral, complicate reconstruction after disasters, and can be challenged by opportunistic claimants.

These issues have consistently surfaced in communities hit by typhoons, large development projects, or property disputes, according to the DENR.

“We are fixing a system that has left too many families in uncertainty for too long…A title is more than a document – it is stability, dignity, and protection from abuse. Our duty is to ensure that land governance is not only efficient but truly responsive to the realities ordinary Filipinos face,” DENR Secretary Raphael Lotilla said.

Aside from this, the DENR pointed out the urgency of foreshore management reforms as coastal zones face rising threats from climate change, storm surges, and unregulated development. 

The DENR chief also called on land officials to pursue a balanced, modern, and climate-responsive approach to land governance. —VAL, GMA Integrated News