Question & AnswerQ&A (DAR DENR-DAR JOINT CIRCULAR NO. 6 S. 1991)
The Circular covers the execution of all kinds of surveys of private agricultural lands covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), including lands not covered by certificates of title turned over to DAR by various government agencies pursuant to Executive Order No. 407.
The DENR Regional Technical Director for Lands assigns the survey of CARP covered areas to the survey party or private contractors only upon the written request of the MARO/PARO, coursed through DARRO to DENR.
DAR must submit a list of landholdings with the following: a photocopy of the title with technical descriptions; a certified survey plan or sketch plan with vicinity map; and a subdivision scheme for subdivision surveys.
DAR is responsible for preparing the schemes of subdivision of untenanted lots; subdivision of tenanted lots must be based on actual tenant occupancy and subject to the maximum allowable area for a farmer beneficiary.
A DAR technician assists in identifying lot boundaries and tenants; they indicate and decide the action needed for portions exceeding the 3-hectare limit, ensuring tenants' occupancy is properly accounted for.
Both agencies maintain a journal recording all landholdings submitted for survey and their status for monitoring and to avoid survey duplication.
All expenses for surveys conducted under this Circular are charged against CARP Survey Funds (Agrarian Reform Fund and regular funds).
DAR must secure or prepare a survey or sketch plan of the property based on the title or other documents before DENR undertakes the survey.
Corners should be marked with standard monuments per the Manual for Land Surveys of the Philippines, adopting existing physical features or monuments if clearly delineating boundaries during relocation surveys.
Concrete corner monuments are 15 cm in diameter by 40 cm, made of a 1:2:4 cement, sand, and gravel mix, and marked on top with engraved letters 'AR' to signify Agrarian Reform as opposed to GS or PS.
Before starting tenant surveys, tenants, adjacent landowners, and local officials are duly notified and pulong-pulong (community meetings) are conducted before and after the actual survey.
If sublots do not exceed 26, letters of the alphabet are used; if they exceed 26, numbering starts consecutively from 'a1a' upwards.
Survey symbols and numbers for CARP surveys are followed by the letters 'AR' in parentheses, e.g., Bsd-10-001981 (AR), to distinguish them from other surveys.
Farmers’ homelots within the project site are included automatically in the survey; if outside, DAR may arrange a separate survey of these homelots with the DENR.
DENR may conduct such surveys upon written request of the DAR Regional Director, limited to subdivisions of formerly single lots allocated to multiple farmer-tillers with complete inventory submitted.