The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) assured the public on the safety of all land records with the Land Management Bureau (LMB) in the wake of a fire that engulfed the LMB building in Binondo, Manila, on Monday morning.
The DENR said that while land records in the building had been damaged, these only serve as back-up of documents in the regional offices.
In turn, regional offices have also been computerizing records in their respective areas, the DENR added.
DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu already formed a committee, headed by Undersecretary Ernesto Adobo Jr., to assess damage to the bureau’s other important documents.
As of press time, fire in the area was still ongoing, with the LMB awaiting a report from fire investigators as to its cause.
The DENR reported that all LMB employees have been accounted for as safe and free from fire-related injuries.
Initial cost of damage was estimated at P100 million due to high-tech gadgets the LMB had recently purchased for the digitization of land records.
The DENR announced that the public could proceed to the agency’s Help Desk at the central office in Quezon City for their land concerns and inquiries.
LMB is a line bureau of the DENR that recommends policies and programs for the efficient and effective administration, surveys, management and disposition of alienable and disposable lands of the public domain and other lands outside the responsibilities of other government agencies. #