New system to help verify land titles

THE LAND Registration Authority (LRA) is set to implement a “trace-back” feature for its automated land titling system, allowing users to identify computerized records that were issued prior to the current title and verify property records’ authenticity.

LRA Circular No. 04-2015, dated March 3 and published in a major newspaper on Wednesday, said the features of the Title Trace-back Service (TTS) may be availed of at the Registry of Deeds that has jurisdiction over the subject property or title, as well as LRA kiosks and extension offices.

Listed by the agency as among the upcoming features of the Land Titling Computerization Project (LTCP) for 2015, TTS enables the public to “trace the history of his title, which is a good tool to verify the legitimacy of a property’s title,” according to an advisory posted on its Web site.

The service allows the identification of all titles previously issued by the Registries of Deeds relative to the currently valid title, read the circular signed by Administrator Eulalio C. Diaz III.

Clients may specify the number of generations required or even trace back to the Original Certificate of Title (OCT), it said.

However, the circular said “the trace-back shall be based only on the existing title information in the computerized database.”

In such cases, the output would indicate that further trace-back cannot be completed, along with possible reasons why the titles were not in the database.

Instead, clients could consult with the records officer of the Registry of Deeds or request for Certified True Copies of existing titles.

To avail of the service, clients would need to accomplish a form indicating the request for trace-back for a number of generations or up to the OCT.

An entry clerk would process the request and give an assessment form to the client to present to the cashier.

Once paid for, the records officer would generate the output on a specified LRA form at the releasing counter.

Applicable service fees would be charged for verification, query or research, network transmission, and operation and maintenance, based on existing published rates.

The circular takes effect 15 days after its publication in major newspapers and the filing of three copies with the University of the Philippines Law Center.

Additional services for 2015 include a Lot Location Service, which generates maps to verify the configuration and location of the titles, and a Title Transaction Alert, which alerts titleholders through text messaging whenever their titles are accessed at the Registry of Deeds. — Vince Alvic Alexis F. Nonato

Source: http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Nation&title=new-system-to-help-verify-land-titles&id=104207