DUBIOUS LAND TITLES: City Council probe flags likely fake Jaro mangrove patents

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Iloilo City Council has commenced an investigation in aid of legislation into homestead patent titles covering more than 50 hectares of mangrove forests in the barangays of Hinactacan, Balabago, and Bito-on in Jaro, following initial findings that the documents were likely fabricated.

City Councilor Romel Duron, chair of the Committee on Environmental Protection, said the patent numbers do not match records in Iloilo and instead correspond to numbering sequences from distant land registries, raising serious questions about their authenticity.

He explained that legitimate homestead patents follow sequential cadastral numbering tied to specific Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regional offices or land surveys.

“Well, it appears that the patent was fictitious, because the patent numbers do not connect with the local records,” Duron said.

The three questioned homestead patents collectively cover about 50 hectares of coastal land in the barangays of Balabago, Bito-on, and Hinactacan.

Based on verification by DENR Region 6, Duron said the patent numbers appear to correspond to issuances in Cagayan de Oro City, Davao del Norte, and Cauayan, Negros Occidental, further strengthening suspicions of irregularity.

He added that the patents were supposedly issued by the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources instead of the DENR, which he described as another major anomaly.

“Even the heading of the patent is already anomalous,” Duron said, noting that the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources existed only from 1916 to 1974.

Under existing rules, homestead patents are processed and signed by the DENR through its field offices once requirements on residence, cultivation, and land improvement are met.

After issuance, the patent is transmitted to the Registry of Deeds, which registers the document and issues the Original Certificate of Title.

“Our investigation is ongoing and is very informative, and even the DENR is convinced that the area is a mangrove area,” Duron said.

He said key requirements for securing a homestead patent, including actual residence, cultivation and land development, appear to have been bypassed.

Records also show that the registered title holders do not reside in the area and are believed to be living in Makati, Duron added.

He further said influence or manipulation may have been used to secure the titles, with possible involvement from the DENR central office due to the apparent disregard of established procedures.

“These are big-time individuals, not ordinary,” Duron said, adding that the patents were forwarded to the Registry of Deeds only in 2024.

“It’s very clear, very glaring that there is an issue and irregularity with the issuance of the patent,” he added.

Duron said the DENR has sought the City Council’s support for its probe, which will be submitted to the DENR secretary to facilitate the reversion of anomalously issued lands to the government.

The questioned titles include Homestead Patent Title No. 153680 (Original Certificate of Title No. 2024000005) issued to Mercedes Supapo, covering Lot 1 of PSU-110827 with an area of about 70,000 square meters.

Also included is Homestead Patent Title No. 153665 (Original Certificate of Title No. 2024000008) issued to Serio R. Calizo Jr., covering Lot 2 of PSU-110827 with an area of about 220,000 square meters.

The third title is Homestead Patent Title No. 153690 (Original Certificate of Title No. 2024000007) issued to Alfredo Salcedo Sr., covering Lot 3 of PSU-110827 with an area of about 210,000 square meters.

Duron said records show Supapo’s patent number corresponds to one issued in Davao del Norte around 1982, Calizo’s to Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental, and Salcedo’s to Cauayan in Negros Occidental.

DENR Region 6 is conducting an ocular inspection and reviewing zoning classifications to determine whether the areas are alienable and disposable land or were previously designated for fishpond lease agreements.

However, Duron said his own inspection indicates that the entire 50-hectare area consists purely of forested mangrove land.