BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan reports that the pending proposals in Congress to re-open the validation of unvalidated 211 titles in the different parts of the city will eventually result to the displacement of thousands of residents who are actually occupying the lands covered by the 211 titles.
The local chief executive pointed out the unvalidated 211 titles in the city should be dealt with on a case-to-case basis and not through the provision of another schedule for the validation of the unvalidated land titles.
“We will surely be creating more problems than solutions if we will allow the validation of all unvalidated 211 titles as this will surely lead to a massive displacement of actual occupants of lands covered by unvalidated 211 titles once the same will be allowed if these pending bills on the matter will be enacted into law,” Domogan asserted.
He revealed the matter was brought to his attention by some top-notch lawyers in the city when he was still the congressman of the city but he declined to author the bill that will provide for a new validation period for the unvalidated 211 titles because he is aware of the prevailing situation in the areas that are covered by the said unvalidated titles.
According to him, if the lands covered by the unvalidated titles are already occupied by individuals apart from the supposed owner, the same should not be covered by the proposed re-opening of the validation of the unvalidated 211 titles because the lands should have already reverted as part of the public domain, thus, the environment department could facilitate their declaration as alienable and disposable for their eventual award to the qualified actual occupants pursuant to existing laws, rules and regulations.
If it is the owner of the property that is currently occupying the lands covered by unvalidated 211 titles, he explained that the re-opening of the validation period will be applicable because there will be no one that will be displaced.
He admitted that the current state of lands covered by unvalidated 211 titles is that there are already numerous occupants of the said parcels of lands that will be affected once the said lands will be validated in favour of the declared applicant that could result to the eventual displacement of the existing occupants.
Earlier, Rep. Mark Go authored the House version of the bill that seeks to re-open the validation period for unvalidated 211 land titles while the Senate Version is still pending deliberations in the Senate.
The validation of the unvalidated 211 land titles pursuant to the provisions of Presidential Proclamation No. 1271 lapsed in February 1987 or over 32 years ago where the situation was totally different compared to the existing situation in the said lands at present.
Thousands of residents who are occupying parcels of lands in areas covered by unvalidated 211 land titles have flocked to the offices of concerned city officials and seeking their assistance on what action to take once the pending legislations on the re-opening of the validation period for invalidated 211 titles will be approved by Congress and eventually signed into law by President Rodrigo R. Duterte. By Dexter A. See
