Tuesday, May 27, 2008 Twin bldgs. seen to end CH, Capitol’s conflict
YESTERDAY’S inauguration of the twin registry of deeds building became an occasion for a Cebu Province legislator to wish for an end to the conflict between Capitol and Cebu City Government officials.
Although both Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and Mayor Tomas Osmeña were a no-show at the activity, Provincial Board (PB) Member Agnes Magpale said the building is a testament that shows that the City and the Province can be united.
The City and the Province occupy equal spaces in the building, where computerized services for the registration of lands will be offered starting Sept. 1.
Because everything is computerized, a transaction can be completed in less than a day.
Registration
Concurrent Land Registration Authority (LRA) City Registrar and Regional Registrar Emmanuel Gimarino said it is the first time that the registry of the City and the Province will have its own office after over a hundred years.
Magpale hoped the two offices will show warring Cebu City and Capitol officials the way.
“Maybe the unity up there will soon follow,” she said, referring to Garcia and Osmeña.
The governor and the mayor are currently at odds with each other over several issues, including the aborted land swapping negotiations.
Magpale is hopeful that “this building is the manifestation of the start of a partnership.”
However, she could not help reminding those in attendance that it is the Capitol that donated the 840-square-meter lot where the building stands.
Garcia and Osmeña were supposed to be the guest speakers during the blessing of the building yesterday but both did not attend the inauguration.
Administration
Magpale represented the Capitol.
LRA Administrator Benjamin Ulep hoped that other local government unit will donate lots for LRA offices in their localities.
He said the LRA is working towards automation to improve services, and that their Cebu offices will be foremost in information technology (IT) in this part of the country and the first to offer computerized service.
The building was constructed by the Land Registration Systems Inc. (Lares), which won the project to computerize LRA services.
The structure was built at no cost to the government, as repairs and construction of LRA offices is among the provisions of the compromise agreement, whose
infrastructure component amounts to P800 million.
Transportation
Lares chairman Cezar Quiambao said they will convert all existing land titles to digital images that will be matched with the owners’ copies.
Land title computerization is the second national IT project awarded to Lares, next to the project for the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
He said that aside from Cebu, they have identified three other pilot sites in Manila for the construction of buildings and hopes to replicate it in 158 other offices nationwide.
With the computerization of over 100 million land title copies, Quiambao said “the LRA will be able to preserve the integrity of the land registry process, ensure the sanctity and security of Torrens titles, and stop the introduction of fake land titles.”
Revenue
It can also streamline land titling registration, improve land records management, improve over-all level of public service and assist other government agencies like the Bureau of Internal Revenue in collecting capital gains tax.
Local government units, he said, will likewise collect real estate or property and land transfer taxes more efficiently.
Ulep said it is his policy to focus on the field offices and boasted that LRA’s annual revenue reached P3.1 billion, compared to just P1 billion when he assumed office six years ago. (RHM)
