1.         For the information and guidance of all concerned, reiterated hereunder are the salient provisions of Republic Act No. 9176, approved on November 13, 2002 by the President of the Philippines and shall take effect on January 1, 2001, granting a period of filing applications for administrative legalization (Free Patent) and Judicial Confirmation of Imperfect and Incomplete Titles pursuant to Republic Act No. 9176:

a.         Sec. 1. Section 45, Chapter VII, CA 141, as amended

"x x x The time to be fixed in the entire archipelago for the filing of applications under this Chapter shall not extend beyond December 31, 2020. Provided, that the period shall apply only when the area applied for does not exceed twelve (12) hectares.

b.         Sec. 2. Section 47, Chapter VIII, of CA 141, as amended

"The persons specified in the next following section are hereby granted time not to extend beyond December 31, 2020 within which to avail the benefits of this Chapter"

c.         "Sec. 3. All pending applications filed before the effectivity of this amendatory Act shall be treated as having been filed in accordance with the provisions of this Act."

This Order shall cover applications for free patent and judicial confirmation of imperfected titles filed since January 1, 2001 up to December 31, 2020.

2.         Further, the provisions of Section 44, Chapter VII of Commonwealth Act 141, as amended, shall be followed and made a part of this Order, to quote:

Section 44.         Any natural born citizen of the Philippines who is not the owner of more than twelve (12) hectares and who, for at least thirty (30) years, prior to his application with the Department, has continuously occupied and cultivated either by himself or through his predecessors-in-interest, a tract or tracts of public agricultural lands subject to disposition, who shall have paid the real estate tax thereon while the same has not been occupied by any person shall be entitled under the provisions of this law, to have free patent issued to him for such tract or tracts of land not to exceed twelve (12) hectares;

3.         The filing, investigation and processing of free patent application in the Community Environment and Natural Resources (CENROs), shall be in accordance with existing rules and regulations and shall fall under the operations of the "Handog Titulo" Program.

4.         This Order shall take effect immediately.

Adopted: 09 Dec. 2002

(SGD.) HEHERSON T. ALVAREZ
Secretary