The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has issued new regulations to fast-track residential land titling, making the process fairer for millions of Filipino families living on untitled public land.

In a news release Tuesday, Environment Secretary Raphael Lotilla said the department issued DENR Administrative Order 2025-35, which overhauls the residential free patent system pursuant to Republic Act 10023, or the Residential Free Patent Act of 2010.

The updated rules clarify who qualifies as an “actual occupant,” allowing heirs, spouses, returning former Filipinos, and those whose possession was temporarily interrupted by work, marriage, or disasters to apply.

It also imposes a 120-day processing period for applications, introduces electronic filing and tracking through the Land Administration and Management System Philippines, and allows the deferred submission of certification from the Land Registration Authority for up to 90 days.

It also maintains the PHP150 standardized application fee and eliminates cadastral survey costs, shielding applicants, especially those from low-income families, from unauthorized or excessive charges.

“We are fixing a system that has left too many families in uncertainty for too long,” Lotilla said. “A title is more than a document – it is stability, dignity, and protection from abuse. Our duty is to ensure that land governance is efficient and responsive to the realities ordinary Filipinos face.”

Lotilla said the move addresses long-standing bottlenecks that have delayed infrastructure projects, complicated inheritance, and fueled property disputes nationwide.

Moreover, untitled homes cannot be used as loan collateral, complicate reconstruction after disasters, and can be challenged by opportunistic claimants.

Meanwhile, the DENR also highlighted the urgency of foreshore management reforms as coastal zones face rising threats from climate change, storm surges, and unregulated development.

“Strengthened foreshore governance is seen as crucial to protecting public coastal lands, supporting coastal economies, and improving climate resilience for millions of Filipinos living along the country’s shorelines,” the department said. (PNA)