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certificate of title may be an Original Philippines adopted the universal feudal
Certificate of Title or a Transfer of Certificate theory that all lands belong to the
of Title. crown, ownership, however, being
vested in the State, as such, rather than
Original Certificate of Title is the first the head thereof. Art. XII, Sec. 2 of the
title issued in the name of a registered 1987 Constitution of the Philippines
owner by the Register of Deeds states that all lands of the public domain
covering a parcel of land which had been and other natural resources are owned
registered under the Torrens System, by by the State; and that with the exception
virtue of judicial or administrative of agricultural lands, all other natural
proceeding. resources shall not be alienated. The
theory of jura regalia was nothing more
Transfer of Certificate of Title is the title than a natural fruit of conquest. The
issued by the Register of Deeds in favor Regalian theory does not negate native
of a transferee to whom the ownership title to lands held in private ownership
since time immemorial. (Cruz vs
of the registered land has been
Secretary of Environment and Natural
transferred by virtue of a sale or other resources, 347 SCRA 128
modes of conveyance.
SEVEN (7) STEPS IN JUDICIAL LAND
Laws Implementing Land Registration REGISTRATION
1. Property Registration Decree (PD
No. 1529, as amended) 1. Application for land registration shall be
2. Cadastral Act (Act 2259, as filed in court by the applicant;
amended) 2. Publication of the notice of the initial
3. Public Land Act (Com. Act. 141, hearing of said publication;
as amended) 3. Opposition to said application shall be
4. Presidential Decree No. 275. filed by any person who claims the land
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of or interest therein;
1988 (R.A. No. 6657, as amended) 4. Hearing of said application and
presentation of evidence in court;
Agencies Implementing Land Registration 5. Judgment shall be rendered by the
and Land Reform court;
1. Department of Environment and 6. Decree of Registration for the land shall
Natural Resources be issued by the LRA Administrator;
2. Department of Justice Land and
Registration Authority (LRA) and it 7. Original Certificate of Title for the land
registries of deeds shall be issued by the LRA
3. Department of Land Reform Administrator which shall then be
4. Department of Agriculture entered by the Register of Deeds in his
Regalian Doctrine (or jura regalia) is a record book. The owners duplicate of
time-honored Constitutional precept said certificate of title shall be given to
that all lands of the public domain the registered owner thereof.
belong to the State, and that the State is
the source of any asserted right to STEP 1: APPLICATION FOR LAND
ownership in land and charged with the REGISTRATION IN COURTA. Who
conservation of such patrimony. May Apply for Land Registration Applicant
must be the owner
Imperium the government authority
possessed by the State in the concept Rights included in ownership:
of sovereignty.
Jus possidendi (right to posses)
Dominium the government's capacity jus utendi (right to use and enjoy)
to own or acquire property. The 1935, jus fruendi (right to the fruits)
1973, and 1987 Constitution of the jus accessionis (right to accessories)
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jus abutmenti (right to consume) Technical descriptions
jus disponendi (right to dispose or Certificate of the Geodetic Engineer
alienate), and Certificate regarding the last
jus vindicandi (right to vindicate or assessment for taxation of the property
recover)
D. Dealings with the Land, Pending
How to Acquire Ownership of Land registration
1. by possession of land since time After the filing of the application and
immemorial; before the issuance of the decree of
2. by possession of alienable public registration, the land therein described
land may still be the subject of dealings in
3. by sale, donation and other modes of whole or in part.
acquiring ownership:
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initial hearing, or within such further (b) By virtue of possession of public
time as may be allowed by the court. land the general rule is that public
The opposition shall state all the land cannot be acquired by prescription
objections to the application, the interest because there can be no prescription
claimed by the party filing the same, and against the State
apply for the remedy desired; it shall be
signed and sworn to by the oppositor or Case Notes:
by some other duly authorized person. Possession of lands of public domain
must be from June 12, 1945 or earlier,
Case Notes for the same to be acquired through
Basis of Opposition the opposition to the judicial confirmation of imperfect title.
application for land registration should Possession of the applicant for land
be based on a right of dominion or some application for land registration must be
other real right independent of, and not under bonafide claim of ownership,
at all subordinate to the rights of, the which presupposes colorable title or
government. acquisition of land through some state
Motion for intervention not allowed grant.
Public land becomes private land
Failure of government to oppose the open, exclusive and undisputed
government cannot be stopped from possession of alienable public land by a
questioning the validity of the citizen of the Republic of the Philippines
certificates of title which were granted for the period prescribed by law creates
without opposition from the the legal fiction whereby the land, upon
government. The principle of estoppels completion of the requisite period ipso
does not operate against the jure and without the need of judicial or
government for the act of its agents. other sanction, ceases to be public land
and becomes private
STEP 4: HEARING OF SAID property. Petitioners are deemed to
APPLICATION AND have acquired, by operation of law, a
PRESENTATIONOF EVIDENCE IN right to a grant, a government grant,
COURT without the necessity of a certificate of
title being issued. The land is
A. Rules of Court segregated from public land.
The Rules of Court shall, insofar as not Filipino Corporations: can acquire
inconsistent with the provisions of private lands if the land was already
Presidential Decree No. 1529, be private at the time the corporation
applicable to land registration and bought it from the seller, then the
cadastral cases by analogy or in a prohibition in the Constitution against
suppletory character and whenever corporations holding alienable lands of
practicable and convenient. Judicial the public domain, except by lease, does
proceedings for the registration of lands not apply. Title and ownership over
throughout the Philippines shall be in lands within the meaning of the
rem, and shall be based on the generally Constitutional prohibition dates back to
accepted principles underlying the the time of their purchase, not later.
Torrents system. A parcel of land acquired by a
corporation from a private individual
B. Evidence should be deemed applied for by such
1. To prove: that the Notice of Initial Hearing private person for registration purposes.
of the application has been published, mailed, For accretion or alluvion to form part
and posted as required by Law of registered land or riparian owner, the
2. To prove that the applicant is the owner: gradual alluvial deposits made by human
(a) By virtue of possession of private intervention are excluded.
land The Government may declare the
accretion property of the adjoining
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owner only when it is no longer washed
by the waters of the sea and when it is Conditional judgments judgments
no longer necessary for public use. which are subject to the performance of
The owners of estates adjoining ponds a condition precedent are not final until
or lagoons do not acquire the land left the condition is performed.
dry by the natural decrease of the
waters, nor lose those inundated by 2. When judgment becomes final
them in extraordinary floods. judgment rendered in a land registration
proceeding becomes final upon the
3. To Prove: the identity of the land expiration of fifteen (15) days to be
(a) Identity of land: survey plan and counted from the date of the judgment.
technical description Judgment binds the whole world.
(b) Identity of land: by area(c) original Judgment is under the principle of res
tracing cloth plan: mandatory evidence judicata:
Spanish titles are no longer admissible Former judgment must be final
as evidence of ownership the court which rendered judgment
must have jurisdiction
4. To prove: that the land is Alienable It must be a judgment of the merits,
and Disposable and
The prerogative of classifying lands of there must be between the first and
the public domain belongs to the second actions identity of parties,
Executive Branch of the government. subject matter, and cause of action
Under the principle of res judicata,
Classification of lands of Public domain (1987 the Court and the parties, are bound by
Constitution, Art. XII, Sec. 3) such final decision, otherwise there will
be no end to litigation.
(1) Forest or timber Adjudication of land to non-claimant is
(2) Mineral lands prohibited.
(3) National parks Title issued pending appeal, void.
(4) Agricultural A judgment dismissing an application
for land registration does not operate as
With the exception of agricultural land, conclusive adjudication (res judicata)
lands of the public domain shall not be between the applicant and the opponent
alienated. who has successfully resisted the
application.
Case Notes A void judgment has no legal or
All lands not appearing to be clearly binding effect for any purpose. It is a
within private ownership are presumed nullity, and leaves the parties litigants in
to belong to the State. the same position they were in before
Title to inalienable lands: void the trial.
STEP 5: JUDGMENT SHALL BE STEP 6: DECREE OF REGISTRATION
RENDERED BY THE COURT FOR THE LAND SHALL BEISSUED BY
A. Judgment THE LRA ADMINISTRATOR
1. Judgment confirming title Partial
judgment allowed in a land registration After judgment of the land registration
proceeding where only a portion of the court has become final and executory, it
land subject of registration is contested, shall devolve upon the court to
the court may render partial judgment forthwith issue an order to the
provided that the subdivision plan Administrator of LRA for the issuance
showing the contested and uncontested of the decree of registration and the
portions approved by the Director of corresponding certificate of title in the
Lands is previously submitted to said name of the person adjudged entitled to
court. registration. The decree of registration
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shall bear the date, hour and minute of DOCUMENTS DEALING WITH
its entry, and shall be signed by the TITLED LANDS A PRELIMINARY
Administrator of LRA. It shall state
whether the owner id married 1. Definition of Terms Titled land
or unmarried, and if married, the name refers to land which has been registered
of husband or wife: provided however under the Torrens system and for which
that if the land adjudicated by the court a Torrens title issued in the name of
is conjugal property, the decree shall be registered owner thereof.
issued in the name of both spouses.
Upon finality of judgment in the land Untitled land refers to land which has
registration cases, the winning party not been registered under the Torrens
does not file a motion for execution as in system, hence, not covered by a Torrens
ordinary civil actions. Instead, he files a title.
petition with the LRA to issue a decree
of registration, a copy of which is then 2. Functions of Register of Deeds The
sent to the Register of Deeds office of the Register of Deeds
for transcription in the registration constitutes a public repository of
book, and issuance of original certificate records of instruments affecting
of title. registered or unregistered lands and
chattel mortgages in the province or
STEP 7: ORIGINAL CERTIFICATE OF city wherein such office is situated.
TITLE FOR THE LANDSHALL BE
ISSUED BY THE LRA 3. Ministerial Duty The function of
ADMINISTRATOR, WHICHSHALL BE the Register of Deeds with reference to
THEN ENTERED BY THE REGISTER the registration of deeds, encumbrances,
OF DEEDS INHIS RECORD instruments and the like is ministerial in
BOOK. THE OWNERS DUPLICATE nature.
OF SAIDCERTIFICATE OF TITLE
SHALL BE GIVEN TO
THEREGISTERED OWNER
THEREOF
Book 2
REGISTRATION OF DOCUMENTS
INVOLVING LANDS
Part 1
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