MISLEADING: P185 total cost of processing land titles in DENR

Claim:  A Facebook post claiming a land title can be processed for a “package fee” of P185 has been circulating again.

A certain Mel Tibayan posted in July 2018 that those who wish to secure a land title only need to pay a P50-application fee or a P180-package fee, inclusive of the application, stamp, and clearance. The post cited a DENR official as source of information.

The post further said an applicant doesn’t need to pay a surveyor the amount of P10,000 or 20,000 as surveyors’ salaries are supposed to be covered by the government.

The caption of the post reads: “Sa mga nagbabalak magpatitulo ng lupa, basahin niyo po ito bago kayo maloko! Singkwenta pesos (Php 50.00) lang ang bayad sa pagpapatitulo ng lupa sa DENR. (Reference: CARAGA New DENR Regional Director, Charlie E. Fabre) or package: PHP185.00 — including the application fee, stamp, and clearance. Di kailangan magbayad ng 10,000 or 20,000. Walang bayad ang survey dahil binabayaran at pinapasahod ng gobyerno ang surveyor. This is the new information that the new DENR wants the people to know!”

(Those planning to secure a land title, please read this before you get fooled! Only fifty pesos (Php 50.00) is the fee required for processing land titles at the DENR. (Reference: CARAGA New DENR Regional Director, Charlie E. Fabre) or package: PHP185.00 — including the application fee, stamp, and clearance. No need to pay 10,000 or 20,000. The survey is free because the government pays the salary of the surveyor. This is the new information that the new DENR wants the people to know!)

It has since been circulated on Facebook, garnering an estimated 40,000 reactions, 82 comments, and 890,000 shares. Rappler’s Fact-check team spotted the post via the Facebook Claim Check. 

Rating: MISLEADING

The facts: The DENR already said in an October 2018 press release that the post was “incomplete, misleading, and erroneous.”

Land Management Bureau (LMB) Director Emelyn Talabis clarified that the standard land titling application fee of P50 had long been increased to P60 since 2000, when former president Joseph Estrada issued an executive order that raised fees and charges in government agencies by 20%.

The “package fee” of P185 refers to “necessary fees such as documentary stamps, clearances, and affidavits from other agencies which must be paid and secured during or prior to the process of filing an application.” These fees still apply as of this writing, LMB’s Chief of Staff Erma Quirimit confirmed to Rappler. 

Meanwhile, the simplified figures must not be mistaken to cover the whole cost of processing land titles. Processing land titles does not end with application fees, stamps, and clearances. Talabis added that some factors such as the type of land and patent being applied for, as well as the mode of transfer of ownership like inheritance, donation, and purchase, will have to be taken into consideration in the overall cost of securing a land title.

Other taxes or charges may also be required of the applicant by other concerned government agencies such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Register of Deeds.

Various paper work are also required such as marriage and/or death certificates, original title, power of attorney, proof of publication, approved plan and technical description of the land, proof of occupation, and judicial forms.

On the claim that an applicant does not need to pay as much as P20,000 to surveyors, Talabis clarified that because the DENR has limited manpower and budget allocated for subdivision survey activities, the agency only offers services on a “first come, first served” basis. Those who cannot be accommodated may opt for the services of private geodetic engineers.

The LMB is the DENR’s arm responsible for administering, surveying, managing, and disposing of alienable and disposable lands. – Addie Pobre/Rappler.com

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