By Catherine J. Teves
MANILA, July 27 (PNA) — The administration under President Benigno Aquino III further advanced its bid to improve land services nationwide, setting the stage for better fueling economic development in the country.
“We finally finished the country’s cadastral survey,” the Chief Executive said Monday in his final State of the Nation Address (SONA).
He noted completion of the cadastral survey clarified metes and bounds or political boundaries of each province, city and municipality in the country.
Such clarification will help end decades of conflict among some LGUs (local government units) regarding extent of respective territories.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ramon Paje also said since the cadastral survey’s results show where political boundaries lie, LGUs won’t be able to claim covering larger territories to get a bigger share of internal revenue allotment (IRA).
Land area is one basis for computing IRA, he noted.
“Cadastral survey is therefore a very good anti-corruption initiative,” he said.
Commonwealth Act 2259 (Cadastral Act) enacted on Feb. 11, 1913 established the country’s cadastral survey program.
DENR noted lack of resources in previous administrations hampered the program’s implementation, however.
“By 2010 — 97 years after the program commenced — only 46 percent of the country was surveyed so there was much work to be done,” Paje said.
He noted the Aquino administration was bent on finishing the program in five years, however, and invested over PHP5 billion since 2010 to get the work done.
“Such funding as well as advancement in technology and hiring of geodetic engineers really helped fast-track our work on the survey,” he said.
President Aquino reported government was able to complete, in a mere five years, the remaining 54 percent of the survey work.
He thanked Paje and other officials for working to improve conditions nationwide.
Earlier, Paje identified the cadastral survey as among DENR initiatives that are helping restore people’s faith in the environmental performance of government.
He noted survey results from Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations reflect such public sentiment. (PNA)