Question & AnswerQ&A (Act No. 3327)
Act No. 3327 authorizes private surveyors to make cadastral surveys for the prompt adjudication of land titles.
Private surveyors must be incorporated under Act No. 1459, have at least three private surveyors on the board of directors with five years uninterrupted practice, one of whom must be a qualified deputy cadastral land surveyor, and comply with other conditions such as filing a cadastral project approved by municipal and provincial authorities and giving a bond.
They must file a proper cadastral project along with the amount, conditions, and terms of payment of their fees, which must be sanctioned and approved by the municipal council and the provincial board.
The bond, representing not less than 10% of the estimated cadastral project cost, guarantees the faithful execution of the work and covers any correction work costs by the Bureau of Lands.
The fees constitute a first lien on the land of occupants or claimants and are obligatory for payment under the cadastral project terms, but the government is not obliged to pay for surveys on public lands surrounded by private lands.
Municipal treasurers act as ex-officio delegates of the Director of Lands for collecting fees, must follow procedures similar to land tax collection for delinquencies, and forward collected monies to the Insular Treasury.
No, they are strictly prohibited from collecting any fees directly; violation may cause cancellation of their assignment and forfeiture of their bond.
The Director of Lands can grant loans up to 75% of total fees collected and outstanding, with legal interest, to aid in completing cadastral survey projects.
They are obligated to cooperate in the monumenting of corners of their lot or claimed land with concrete monuments under supervision of cadastral office surveyors.
Their assignment to the cadastral project can be cancelled and the bond posted to guarantee faithful execution of work may be forfeited.
Yes, it repeals Act No. 2989 but does not apply to private cadastral surveys being made at its approval time unless the surveyors incorporate under this Act.