By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — The Supreme Court (SC) is pushing coordinated reforms to dismantle barriers to land registration and justice, bringing government agencies, civil society groups and representatives of marginalized communities together to advance legislative, administrative and digital solutions to long-standing land rights problems.
At the two-day Land and Justice Summit held October 19–20 in Tagaytay City, participants called for the immediate passage of the National Land Use Bill, a unified referral mechanism for land-related concerns and an integrated government mapping system to improve access to land records and legal assistance.
Organized by the SC and the Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA), in partnership with the Fostering Advancement of Inclusive and Rights-Based Justice (FAIR Justice) program and the Australian government, the summit sought practical reforms through stronger coordination among institutions and affected sectors.
Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa, who chairs the SC subcommittee developing a judicial curriculum for land registration, stressed that land is inseparable from people’s dignity, livelihood, security and identity.
He urged institutions to overcome jurisdictional divisions that have left communities vulnerable to complex registration requirements and unresolved land disputes.
Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo, in a recorded keynote address, said faster case resolution must not come at the expense of due process and fairness, emphasizing that no single institution can solve the country’s land problems alone.
Participants identified obstacles involving ancestral, agricultural and residential lands, including conflicting agency mandates, difficult documentary requirements, inaccessible services and gaps in coordination.
Proposed measures included passing the National Land Use Bill, establishing a single inter-agency referral system accessible through a QR code, and issuing an executive order requiring government agencies to make digital information accessible to persons with disabilities.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology also expressed interest in developing an integrated land-mapping and geospatial information system drawing data from different agencies, subject to an executive order.
Court of Appeals Associate Justice Jose Lorenzo R. Dela Rosa presented an inter-agency framework for land registration and cadastral dispute resolution.
Government institutions signed a memorandum of understanding covering procedural mapping, capacity-building, technology, information sharing and inter-agency coordination in land administration and justice.
The signatories included the Departments of Justice and Environment and Natural Resources, Land Registration Authority, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, Office of the Solicitor General, Commission on Human Rights, National Council on Disability Affairs, Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, Public Attorney’s Office and Office of the Court Administrator.
Farmers’ organizations, Indigenous peoples’ advocates and human rights groups also joined discussions on improving access to land ownership and legal remedies.
Cheryl Polutan, programs coordinator of LILAK, welcomed the summit as a rare opportunity for Indigenous women to bring their land rights concerns directly to government institutions.
Atty. Fe Esperanza Trampe of the Environmental Legal Assistance Center in Palawan urged participants to turn discussions into concrete action.
Atty. Buboy Mendoza of Balaod Mindanaw called for more accessible and humane procedures, citing the difficulty marginalized communities face in meeting documentary requirements and reaching courts located far from their communities.
The SC said regular meetings would follow to refine the proposed measures and monitor implementation, placing the focus on whether inter-agency commitments translate into tangible improvements for communities seeking secure land rights and access to justice.
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