PROV’L CAPITOL, Laoag City, Nov. 15–“A dream come true!”, exclaimed in delight by teary-eyed Toribio Viernes of Brgy. Tamdagan, Vintar, Ilocos Norte.
Viernes, one of the thousand beneficiaries, received his real property’s Certificate of Land Title through the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte’s project ‘Titulo a Natalged: Sagut ken Ilokano’ during the awarding rites held November 14 at Centennial Arena here. Gov. Imee R. Marcos personally handed the certificates to the beneficiaries.
At least 1,635 recipients of the CTs were emotional like Viernes when they also received their respective individual land title certificates. Most of them have waited for decades to obtain their CTs. (Many recipients were jubilant as they proudly shown their CTs to the local press saying these early Christmas gifts from Gov. Imee “are manna from Heaven.”–Editor).
According to Rizal Pancho of Pagudpud and Cristy Aquino of Paoay, they almost lost hope of their applications for their land title until they learned about the ‘Titulo a Natalged’ program of Gov. Imee R. Marcos.
“When I heard about this project of Gov. Marcos, I became optimistic of obtaining this elusive certificate of title which I applied for many years ago,” Pancho said.
According to Gov. Marcos, the ‘Titulo a Natalged’ project was created when she found out that several real properties of the provincial government such as the lots of the Provincial Capitol building, Marcos Hall of Justice, Ilocano Heroes Hall and Dap-ayan were not yet covered by Certificates of Title that confer real ownership to the province.
“I was alarmed when I discovered that these government properties do not have titles, thus the Executive Order (EO) 50-11 otherwise known as the Titulo a Natalged: Sagut ken Ilocano was issued so that the properties of the provincial government and our Kakailians are finally given land titles of ownership,” the governor said during the awarding ceremony.
EO 50-11 which created the task force Titulo a Natalged took effect on August 2, 2011 and implemented by the Provincial Assessor’s Office. It conducted a province-wide survey and titling of all alienable and disposable lands in Ilocos Norte.
Under this project, the Land Registration Authority, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Agrarian Reform, Geodetic Engineers Association and Private Realtors Association of Ilocos Norte were the partner agencies of PGIN. (Florante A. Nicolas/ PGIN-cmo)
