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Pursuant to Executive Order No. 45, as amended by Executive Order Nos. 280 and 321, and DENR Adm. Or. No.2004-23 entitled “Guidelines for the Computerization of Land Records” and to provide improvements in land record management functions of the Department, the following procedures in the reconciliation, indexing and reconstruction of survey records are hereby prescribed for the guidance and compliance of all concerned.

Section 1. Basic Policy. It is the policy of the State to accelerate the adjudication and disposition of alienable and disposable lands of the public domain and to provide better and land administration services to the people and to the various government agencies that need survey related data for operational and planning processes. In this regard, it is necessary for the DENR to have an efficient and effective survey records management system.

Section 2. Objectives. This Order aims to:

a. provide guidelines in the reconciliation of survey record data and uniform procedures in the indexing, data capture and updating of large government surveys by the DENR Regional Offices and Land Management Bureau (LMB); and

b. provide the DENR, other national agencies and local government units with accurate information relative to the survey of land within their jurisdiction for planning and operational purposes.

Section 3. Coverage. This Order shall cover indexing, reconciliation and reconstitution activities on cadastral projects, isolated political boundary surveys and other large government land disposition surveys such as Public Land Surveys (PLS), Government Settlement Surveys (GSS), Private Cadastral, Surveys (PCS), Friar Land Surveys (FLS) at the DENR Regional Offices and the LMB.

Section 4. Definition of Terms. The following terms as used in this order are hereby defined as follows:

a. Indexing – a process which involves the numerical/alphabetical arrangement of data, whether by using index cards or electronic list, in relation to the basic information relative to a survey record.
b. Survey Project Indexing – a process of indexing survey records by type of projects such as Public Land Subdivision, Group Settlement Survey and Cadastral Survey.
c. Numerical Project Survey Indexing – the numerical arrangement of survey records by survey project number in the entire country using basic information as contained in the related section herein.
d. Municipal Base Survey Indexing – the numerical arrangement of survey data by survey project within a city/municipality using basic information as provided in the related section herein.
e. Reconciliation of records – the process of comparing the records of LMB and LMS to ascertain whether duplicate records exist in both offices in order to avoid duplication of work in the reconstitution/reconstruction of survey records.
f. Physical Inventory – the specific determination as to survey records are in the custody of LMB and Land Management Sector (LMS).

Sector 5. Physical Inventory and Reconciliation. During Inventory, the LMB and the DENR Regional Offices will locate, identify and describe all survey records series in its custody. At the end of the inventory, these offices should have a good appraisal of the status of the records kept in its offices and should conduct records assessment to help assemble short term plans for records reconstruction and a long term plan for managing survey records.

The LMB and the Regional LMS shall prepare the actual physical inventory of all available records by survey project. Actual physical inventory of the following survey records shall be made:

a. Lot data computation books b. Lot description books
c. Boundary Index Maps (BIM) and Cadastral Maps (CM)
d. Numerical list of lots
e. Alphabetical list of claimants

The Inventory list should reflect all survey records from each of the survey project that are not on file in the DENR Regional Office. The LMB shall develop records data worksheet in paper and electronic form to help ensure consistent and complete data collection.

Section 6. Survey Project Indexing. The preliminary approach to conducting the inventory is to create an index or catalogue of survey records series, i.e project types such as cadastral, public land surveys, etc. before making an inventory of associated records such as lot data computations and survey plans of each particular survey project. Said index should be in electronic form and must provide basic information about the project including among others its unique identifier such as survey project type and number, location, number of lots, area, etc. This would facilitate ease in cross indexing/ referencing by the different DENR offices managing survey records.

Section 7. Numerical Project Survey Indexes. The LMB shall update the following index of cadastral and other large government survey projects to serve as preliminary guide in the records inventory.

a. Technical Bulletin No. 87-A (Numerical Index of Cadastral Surveys with status)
b. Numerical Index of Private Cadastral Survey Projects (PSC)
c. Numerical Index of Public Land Survey Projects PLS)
d. Numerical Index of Government Settlement Surveys Projects

The project index should include the following data:

a. Assigned Survey Number
b. Province
c. Municipality
d. Barangay
e. Date of the Start of the Project
f. Date of the Approval of the Project
g. Case Number and Barangay/Barrio
h. Number of Lots per Case
i. Total Number of Lots
j. Total Area Covered by the Project
k. DENR Office in Custody of the Records
l. Physical Condition
m. Whether the record has been converted to electronic form (textual or spatial)
n. Remarks in case there are peculiar circumstances in a particular project

Section 8. Municipal Base Survey Project Index. The Regional Land Management Service (LMS) shall create an index of all survey projects in each municipality within its jurisdiction. The municipal based survey project index shall include the type of survey project conducted and the following data fields:

a. Survey Project Type (CAD, PLS, PSC, GSS, BGSS, etc.)
b. Survey Number
c. Date of the Start of the Project
d. Date of the Approval of the Project
e. Number of Cases
f. Number of Lots per Case
g. Total Number of Lots
h. Total Area Covered by the Project
i. DENR Office in Custody of the Records
j. Remarks in case there are peculiar circumstances in a particular project

If the Survey Project is a subdivision of a portion of a previously approved survey, said project should be included in the index indicating that the same is not an original survey and indicating thereat the original survey number and the lot/s number from which it was derived.

An index of land classification map and other forestry map within the municipality shall likewise be prepared which shall include:

a. LC Map Number
b. Date of the Start of the Project
c. Date of the Approval of the Project
d. Total Area of Alienable and Disposable Lands
e. Total Area of Forest Lands
f. Remarks in case there are peculiar circumstances in a particular project

Other isolated or private surveys covering vast tract of lands should likewise be included in the indexing. If the survey is an old survey and no physical copy of the original survey is at hand, the same should still be included if there are other survey records on file derived from them.

If the survey project record is incomplete as when only part of the said records is in the possession of the inventorying office, said fact should be stated and shall state what particular record is in the custody of the said office.

The LMB shall develop records data worksheet in paper and electronic form containing the above noted elements for each record series indexed and inventoried to help ensure consistent and complete data collection.

Section 9. Cross Referencing and Evaluation. The inventory list will be forwarded by the Regional Offices to the LMB and the latter office shall cross reference said list with existing inventory to determine what records are not available in the Regional Offices but available in LMB, and vice versa.

Records available in the LMB shall then be evaluated and reproduced in the following manner:

a. Clean copy of survey records in text such as list of lots, lot data computations and alphabetical list of claimants shall be reproduced preferably in a digital image. In cases where the above is not feasible other means of reproduction can be explored.

b. Lot description in tracing cloth or drafting film shall be reproduced or encoded in electronic form or shall be reproduced as digital image.

c. Boundary and Index Maps (BIM) and cadastral maps shall be scanned as image files.

All survey records reproduced at the LMB shall be forwarded to the DENR Offices for referencing.

Section 10. Preparation of Working Sheets and References. Lots within the survey project that are missing or have no records on file from which descriptions can be derived shall be identified and inventoried for reconstitution. Preparing of working sheets shall be undertaken by the Regional Offices in reconstituting the lots or missing lot records.

Working sheets shall consist of white prints of selected cadastral maps and photocopies of selected lot data computation, lot descriptions and numerical list of lots. Records of adjoining lots can also be used as reference. Electronic files can likewise be used if the same is available using computer aided surveying programs.

Section 11. Reconstitution/Reconstruction of Lots and Plans. The Regional Offices shall be guided by the following activities in the actual reconstitution/reconstruction of cadastral data and maps:

a. Data preparation

The missing or damaged technical description (TD) of a cadastral lot can be determined from any of the following:

i. Side shot computation from field notes
ii. Technical description of the concerned lots from their respective copy of title
iii. Computation of missing lines from incomplete TD of the lot
iv. TD of adjoining lots from:

- Area computation sheets
- Certified Copy of title

Derivation of rectangular coordinates of points for plotting purposes:

i. Computation of latitudes and departures from reconstituted TD of lots
ii. Determination of missing lines from available TD
iii. Determination (interpolation) of intersections from the already plotted adjoining lots iv. Determination of common points (with the least horizontal errors or the best fit or the most conformal among the plotted points) and adjustments

b. Data Input and Verification

i. Digital conversion of the cadastral lots

- Encoding the individual Technical Description
- Scanning the manually plotted CM and conversion to vector files

ii. Lot description book with column provided for lot claimants
iii. Alphabetical list of claimants and numerical list of lots
iv. Boundary Index Maps and Cadastral Maps

c. Checking and Final Verification

i. map
ii. plans
iii. lot descriptions
iv. lot data computations

d. Approval. The Regional Technical Director (RTD) for Lands shall approve the reconstructed cadastral plans/maps.

Section 12. Repealing Clause. This Order supersedes DAO No. 68, s. 1990 and all orders, circulars and other issuances not consistent herewith are hereby amended or repealed accordingly.

Section 13. Effectivity. This Order shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in a newspaper of general circulation and upon acknowledgment of receipt of a copy thereof by the Office of the National Administrative Register (ONAR).

(SGD.) HORACIO C. RAMOS
  Acting Secretary