[ LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS NO. 525, March 30, 1977 ]

TO:
The Secretary of Natural Resources
The Secretary of Finance
The Director of Forest Development
The Director of Lands
The Land Registration Commissioner

In order to expedite the implementation of the government agro-forest development pilot project under Proclamation No. 1632, the Secretary of Natural Resources is hereby authorized to use funds appropriated for his Department and such funds as may hereafter be provided to compensate the value of improvements of the various ranchers and small settlers within the project and to resettle them, after proper screening, in areas found to be suitable for the purpose.  Small settlers who elect resettlement shall be issued special patents in the resettlement sites, and ranchers found qualified to acquire and exchange pasture area shall be provided such area.

The displaced settlers and ranchers shall be exempt from the payment of application fees, registration fees, documentary stamps, and all other initial fees required for the registration of their land patents or pasture applications.  The ranchers shall ,in addition, be exempt from paying rent for their new pasture areas for the first year.

All Letters of Instructions, Executive Orders, Department Orders or Circulars, Rules and Regulations or parts thereof that are inconsistent herewith are hereby revoked or modified accordingly.

This Letters of Instructions shall take effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila, this 30th day of March, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-seven.

(Sgd.) FERDINAND E. MARCOS
President of the Philippines