The
Philippines
' Land Registration Authority
(Filipino: Pangasiwaan sa
Patalaan ng Lupain), abbreviated as LRA, is
an agency of the Philippine
government under the Department of Justice
responsible for issuing decrees of registration and certificates of
title and register documents, patents and other land transaction
for the benefit of landowners, agrarian reform-beneficiaries and
the registering public in general; providing a secure, stable and
trustworthy record of land ownership and recorded interests therein
so as to promote social and economic well-being and contribute to
the national development.
History
Sir Robert Torrens originated the system of land registration known
today worldwide as the Torrens system of land registration.
As the
commissioner of customs in South Australia
, Torrens was inspired by the comparative facility
with which ships or undivided shares therein were negotiated and
transferred in accordance with the Merchant Shipping Acts.
Becoming a register of deeds, he advised a scheme of registration
of title that improved the old system of registration of deeds. He
adopted a procedure under the Merchant Shipping Acts with
appropriate modifications.
When he became a member of the First Colonial
Ministry of the Province of South Australia, he introduced in the parliament a bill providing
for the adoption of his scheme of land registration. The
measure was passed and came to be known as the "Torrens
System."
On
November 6,
1902,
the Philippine Commission enacted Act 496 known as the Land
Registration Act. This provided for the creation of the Court of
Land Registration (CLR), the offices of the Register of Deeds and
the institution in this country of the Torrens system of
registration whereby real estate ownership may be judicially
confirmed and recorded in the archives of the government. The
system, however, actually took effect on
February 1,
1903, on which
date LRA may be said to have taken roots. Five judges were
appointed by the Governor-General with the advice and consent of
the Philippine Commission, one of whom was designated as Judge of
Court and the other as Associate Judges, all of whom could be
removed by the Governor-General with the advice and the consent of
the Philippine Commission.
On
February 11,
1913, the Cadastral Law Act (Act 2259) was enacted for
compulsory registration of land titles with private ownership.
Under this Act, registration of titles was judicial in
nature.
The Court
of Land Registration exercised jurisdiction over all applicants for
the registration of titles to land or building in the Philippines, with the power to hear and determine all questions
arising upon such applications.
On
July 1,
1914 by virtue
of Act No. 2347, the jurisdiction over land registration cases of
the Court of Land Registration was transferred to the Court of
First Instance. A new office, known as the General Land
Registration Office (GLRO), was charged with the functions, among
others, of looking into the effective implementation of the land
registration law. The offices of the Register of Deeds were, per
Section 192 (a) of the Revised Administrative Code, placed under
the administrative supervision of the GLRO.
However,
Republic
Act No. 1151 abolished the GLRO and created in its stead, the
Land Registration Commission (LRC), on
June
17,
1954.
The Commissioner of Land Registration took
over the powers and functions of the GLRO, including those of the
judge of the Fourth branch of the Court of First Instance of
Manila
. The Land Registration Commission operated
under the supervision of the Department of Justice, and exercised
direct supervision and control of all Registers of Deeds as well as
the Clerks of Court of First Instance in land registration
cases.
A registry of deeds was established in every city and every
province and branch registry where legally feasible, charged with
the functions of registering deeds under the Torrens System.
Registers of Deeds of the different provinces and chartered cities
who were appointed by the
President, were under the
administrative supervision and control of the Land Registration
Commission.
On
February 9,
1981,
President Ferdinand Marcos issued Executive Order No.
469 reorganizing the LRC into the National Land Titles and Deeds
Administration (NLTDRA).
Operating under the administrative
supervision of the Ministry of Justice,
NLTDRA was implementing the laws governing the Torrens System of
land registration in the Philippines.
In the President's Memorandum Circular of
September 30,
1988, the
latest of these changes was effected. The National Land Titles and
Deeds Registration Administration (NLTDRA) became the Land
Registration Authority (LRA) which was tasked to continue
exercising NLTDRA's powers and functions under existing laws. This
was in line with Executive Order No. 292 dated
July 25,
1987, instituting the
Administrative Code of 1987, which took effect on
November 3,
1989.
See also
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