The Land Management Bureau (LMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has highlighted the improvements in its land services systems and processes through a digital transformation during the month-long celebration of its 120th founding anniversary this September.

With the theme “Overcoming Hurdles and Surpassing Boundaries on Land Administration and Management Through Digital Transformation,” the DENR-LMB anniversary celebration underscored the importance of adopting technology to improve public land services.

“Now more than ever, adopting digital transformation in our systems and processes is vital and timely. For that, I commend the LMB for its innovativeness in leading the land administration function of the DENR through technologies and timely policies,” said DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu.

DENR-LMB Director Atty. Emelyne V. Talabis emphasized the need to maximize its information system called Land Administration Management System (LAMS) and other innovations to provide ease of transactions, processing, delivery of surveys, and titling services.

This not only limits face-to-face transactions but also simplifies procedures for a shorter processing time.

“The new normal calls for technological innovations in the sectors’ land administration and management services. We endeavor to bring land services in the most efficient and safest way to the people,” said Talabis during the virtual kick-off celebration on Sept. 3.

“The digital transformation of our land records towards the digital cadastral database also continues,” she pointed out.

Based on DENR-LMB’s data as of June 2021, 82 percent of its land records are already scanned while 72 percent are encoded, both properly stored in servers for processing and monitoring.

“We also lined up policy studies for a more efficient system of land service and titling that will be responsive to the demands of the changing times, such as the comprehensive review of the Manual on Land Surveys and the Public Land Act,” Talabis said.

One of the DENR-LMB’s recent accomplishments was the signing of the Memorandum of Partnership Agreement with the municipal government of Bay in Laguna province for the online data-sharing system, which aims to fast-track the process of land titling and prevent land titling conflicts.

It also issued DENR Administrative Order (AO) 2020-16, which sets the rules and regulations on the processing and approval of all energy projects in foreshore lands.

The DAO aims to adopt a paperless and electronic application and processing system.

Moreover, through the LMB online land services elandservices.lmbdenr.ph, the public can request and access land records such as lot status and certified copies of survey records online.

Aside from these, the LMB also aims to accelerate the original land titling of public lands nationwide within 10 years and pave the way for more land management functions.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte recently signed Republic Act 11573, which simplifies and improves the issuance of agricultural free patents.

DENR-LMB’s records show that from January to July 2021, residential patents submitted to the Register of Deeds reached 11,229, while agricultural patents were 12,746, contributing to the overall total of 501,485 issued patents from 2011 to July 2021, covering a total area of 11,807.0053 hectares.

DENR Undersecretary for Legal, Administration, Human Resources and Legislative Affairs Atty. Ernesto D. Adobo, who is also the LMB Supervising Undersecretary, lauded the efforts of LMB over the past year in providing timely policies and innovations on land administration services of the DENR. ###