Using Technology For Land Titling

The Cebu Provincial Government actively supports the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through the Provincial Cadastral Council in its efforts to quicken the processing of land titling in the local government units (LGUs).

DENR is tasked to conduct land titling through DENR Administrative Order 2011-06 by prescribing guidelines in implementing public land titling in partnership with LGUs.

This is pursuant to Executive Order No. 192 of 1987 that grants DENR the power to promulgate rules and regulations necessary to facilitate public land titling in further implementation of Commonwealth Act No. 141 known as the Public Land Act.

The council is composed of Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III, DENR VII-Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Jose Cleo Cary Colis and members: President of the League of Municipal Mayors, Provincial Chairman of Liga ng mga Barangay, and different offices: Provincial Registry of Deeds, Provincial Agrarian Reform, Provincial Assessor’s Office, Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO), and Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO).

Recently, a meeting was attended by the members of the cadastral council and geodetic engineers and assessor officers from the LGUs for a presentation of a study that uses drones for land surveys and mapping.

This new perspective in the field of land surveys was brought about by private companies like SkyEye Incorporated and Micro Aerial Project in partnership with the local government of Cordova.

With the fast growing use of drones for entertainment, rescue operations, and battlefields, it is now also jumping in the industry of capturing important facts for studies and research.

Since Cordova is piloting in the success of public land titling, these drone-using companies conducted a pilot study using drones in land survey, specifically in Poblacion and Catarman.

Matthew Cua, chief executive officer (CEO) of SkyEye Inc., said that instead of waiting for the procurement phases, this technology can generate the same results in a faster way.

During the presentation of the study, both teams agreed that the aerial survey created subdivision plan of the two barangays are 95 percent accurate high resolution maps as the same result with the field measurements.

Aerial surveys are also time-saving, less field-working and less of resources-spending.

Walter Volkmann, CEO of Micro Aerial Project, said that the most gratifying moment in his job is to be able to partner with the residents in the community and seeing them recognizing the property that they are in.

In the span of ten days, Cua and Volkmann finished the survey and were able to deliver the needed information for the alienable and disposable properties in the area.

They emphasized that aerial mapping using drones provide concrete information and speed up the process of any type of survey.

They recommended that DENR should establish a policy on using drones for subdivision surveys especially in the testing of the accuracy.

Both team are hoping that when the time comes that regulations for flying drones in Cebu or in the Philippines is applied, it will not premature such programs for land surveys.

By Cris Lanie Delos Reyes

www.cebu.gov.ph