Former governor now Bataan 2nd District Rep. Enrique “Tet” Garcia, said that he wanted to fast-track the titling of the ancestral lands of the Aetas in Bataan after the provincial government had set aside an amount for the titling, processing and other expenditures for the land titles of the Minorities
The provincial government coordinated with the National Commission for Indigenous People, DENR and the Department of Agrarian Reform for the said land titling programs.
In Region 3, newsmen learned that newly-installed DENR 3 Regional Executive Director Francisco Milla Jr., wanted to expedite the completion of 11 priority cadastral projects in the entire Central Luzon which covers 511,917 hectares of six provinces, 31 towns, and 1,022 barangays.
Director Milla told newsmen that 10 out of the 11 cadastral projects are category “B” or political boundary and project control survey.
The Cadastral survey projects included surveying of extensive tracts of previously unsurveyed public lands in a bid by the DENR to hasten land registration that will serve as basis for valuation and taxation of local governments, said Milla.
It was learned that those who bagged the 11 cadastral survey projects are JR. Fernandez Surveying and Engineering Services, Rolando C. Siccion Surveying Office, Henry G. Velasco Engineering and Surveying Office, Thetan Computerized Mapping and Engineering Services, Geoidex Surveying and Mapping, EV Quejada Surveying Office, Rommel M. Antonio Construction Surveying and Consultancy Services, DG Cubacub Construction and Surveying, A Pole Surveying and Geodetic Services, and Manangan Survey Office.
Illegal and improper surveying, however, are sources of graft and corruption, victimizing usually land owners.
But NCIP Regional Director Onit Daquioag asked the DENR to coordinate with them first before conducting surveys along ancestral domains of the minorities whose membership, he said, rose now to 195,000 individuals in Central Luzon only.
