President Rodrigo Duterte may have to overhaul the Land Registration Authority and force out the culprits in a thriving land titling scam which has the Philippine government as its main victim.
This was the suggestion made by Senator Richard Gordon, Blue Ribbon Committee chairman, who said all conspirators in the fake land title scam must not go unpunished and therefore be issued a hold departure order.
Gordon said in an interview on local radio program he would also ask President Duterte, whom international media brand as “The Punisher,” to revamp the entire LRA and stop the “syndicates who have been fabricating fake land titles with the wholesale participation of some LRA officials.”
“I’m thinking of submitting a preliminary report to the President, and will recommend a thorough investigation of LRA” (“mahalughog ang LRA”), Gordon said.
The committee, along with the Senate Committee on Public Works chaired by Senator Manny Pacquiao, has already held three public hearings in General Santos and in the Senate session hall.
The Senator trained his guns on a certain LRA official whom he singled out in the last hearing for certifying the fake land titles as “genuine.” The Department of Public Works and Highways refers question of authenticity of land titles to the LRA, and that official “has always certified that the titles are “genuine,” contrary to testimonies of officials of other government agencies.
Gordon also confirmed reports that fake title conspirators are very active in Mindanao, especially around airport like the General Santos Airport.
He acknowledged a complaint filed against a Mindanaoan family and four others who falsely claimed ownership of a 770-hectare property adjacent to the GenSan airport.
That certain family sold five of their subdivided titles to a businessman operating in Metro Manila running to millions of pesos, Gordon said.
The 770 hectare property near the GenSan airport is actually owned by government. It is leased to a private firm under the Integrated Forest Management Agreement with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources much earlier.
Gordon said he would depend on the leads provided by well-meaning industries and individuals “so we can put a stop to this scam.”
Gordon also declared that he will ask the Bureau of Immigration to “issue a hold departure order to those who have been identified as part of the conspiracy.”
He said that he already has a preliminary report of investigating teams naming “some personalities who are already involved in this sordid affair.”
The modus operandi takes the form of offering fake titles to the DPWH which needs lands for its right-of-way requirements in building roads and bridges. The fraudulent acts include making small pieces of land big, and collecting millions of pesos for such transactions.
Gordon mentioned that the mastermind and a handful of conspirator use the “power of attorney” to transact business on behalf of fake owners.
This “web corruption” must be dismantled, he declared.
