Question & AnswerQ&A (Acts No. 1847)
The purpose of the amendment is to revise Sections 9 and 11 of Act No. 1120 (The Friar Lands Act) to specify the manner of sale of unoccupied lands and the timeline within which deferred payments by purchasers of friar lands must be made.
The Director of Lands is authorized to take possession and charge of any vacant friar lands and either lease the lands for a term not exceeding three years or offer them for sale as deemed in the best interests of the Government.
The Director of Lands shall proceed as provided in Section 11 of the Act when making sales of vacant lands, including notifying municipal presidents, ensuring public notice, and giving preference to tenants or bona fide occupants.
Any person who is an actual and bona fide settler and occupant of a portion of the friar lands at the time the land is conveyed to the Government is entitled to purchase the land they occupy.
The occupant can purchase the land at the actual cost of the land to the Government.
Purchasers are allowed to pay in equal annual or semiannual installments with interest at a rate of 4% per annum on deferred payments.
The entire amount, including interest, must be fully paid at least one year before the maturity of the friar lands bonds, specifically on or before February 1, 1933.
The municipal president must be notified of the sale, publish the notice by bandillos in the poblacion and affected barrios for three consecutive days, and certify these acts to the Director of Lands before the sale can proceed.
Preference is given to purchasers who have been tenants or bona fide occupants to ensure fair access to land for those who have already invested in its occupancy, with specific preference to the last tenant if there are multiple occupants.
No, a sale is not valid or effective without the required publication by bandillos as stipulated in the Act.