CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—The local government unit (LGU) of Mabalacat City in Pampanga will take the lead in the government’s land-titling program after it forged a memorandum of partnership agreement with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), environment authorities here said in a news statement issued on Tuesday.
DENR Regional Director Francisco Milla Jr. said he will seek to expedite land-titling activities in the city and has committed to integrate land administration in the LGU activities to fast-track the processing and distribution of land titles in their jurisdiction.
“Local government played a vital role in contributing to the effective development, administration and management of the country’s land resources, hence, this partnership agreement,” Milla said.
Mabalacat is the second LGU in Pampanga that partnered with the DENR in the LGU-led public land-titling program after the town of Minalin.
Under the agreement, municipal assessors and planning officers, and staff from the environment or other offices may be deputized as public land investigators after undergoing an intensive training, Milla said.
The next step is to establish a land management office in Mabalacat City and to train the LGU staff in land management, he added.
For his part, Mabalacat City Mayor Marino Morales, who is presently in the United States, expressed his gratitude for the support and technical assistance extended by the DENR in addressing his city’s environmental issues.
