LRA chief scolds Zambales RD over land registration delay

The head of the Land Registration Authority has admonished the Register of Deeds of Zambales for the continuing delay in the registration of several subdivision lots in the province despite earlier orders by the authority to do so.

LRA Administration Benedicto Ulep said the continued refusal of Zambales Register of Deeds Athena Tarongoy to register the titles has put the authority in a bad light, especially since RD offices have recently been identified as a source of the clogging of land cases nationwide.

Ulep cited Tarongoy’s refusal to implement the authority’s resolution in Consulta case 4477, ordering her to register the deed of sale executed by Goldmine Realty Development Corp., a subdivision developer in Subic, Zambales, in favor of Metro Asia Development Corp.

In August last year, Tarongoy denied the transfer of the titles of nine subdivision lots owned and registered in the name of Goldmine and insisted that the sale should have been executed by one Mario Villanueva and Reed Steel fabricators Inc., although they are not the registered owners.

Aggrieved by the illegal denial, Atty. Redentor S. Viaje, Goldmine’ss counsel and corporate secretary, elevated the case to the LRA which issued a resolution last June 19 reversing the Tarongoy denial.

However, instead of obeying the resolution, Tarongoy again refused the registration and raised to the LRA other issues to block the transfer of the titles, an action that should have been made by a private party in the interest, if there is any, viaje said.

The RD’s refusal prompted the LRA chief to issue the admonition to Tarongoy.

“As a last note, you are hereby admonished to exercise a higher degree of professionalism in the performance of your duties, especially in issuing notices of denial by including therein all the grounds therefore and not to do it on a piecemeal basis.”

“This not only puts the RD in a bad light but the authority as well, not to mention the waste of money, effort and time of the registrants in seeking the appropriate remedy under the given circumstances,” Ulep said.

Just recently, Environment Secretary Lito Atienza vowed to overhaul all RD offices of the LRA which he described as the source of land cases clogging the courts.

The LRA was placed under the supervision of the DENR from the Department of Justice virtue of Executive Order 690 issued by President Arroyo last December.

It was learned that almost a hundred land re-conveyance cases are pending before the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court alone. The Olongapo RTC has jurisdiction over Goldmine’s subdivision in Subic.