September 5, 2026
Congressman Mauricio Domogan has filed a bill before Congress to devolve the necessary authority for the approval of alienable and disposable Baguio lands to the local government.
House Bill 10973, filed last week on August 26, read before Congress and referred to the House Committee on Justice on September 1, looks to amend portions of Presidential Decree 1271 to devolve certain powers of validating certain land titles in Baguio to local authorities.
According to Domogan’s explanatory note, the 2,613 pending land title validations have been pending since March of 1978, in part due to the present composition of the validation committee.
At present, the committee includes the Secretary of Justice, Solicitor General, and the Director of the Land Management Bureau, all officials with many other duties.
Additionally, there is a lack of a specific budgetary allocation for the land validation committee.
Should it be passed, the Baguio validation committee would include the regional director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Cordillera (DENR-CAR), the city mayor, and members drawn from the community environment and natural resources officer, city assessor, city planning officer, city legal officer, city prosecutor, and the head of the Baguio council’s Committee on Urban Planning, Lands and Housing.
Credits (Original sources):
Baguio Chronicle
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DHuoXZLcx