SC CIRCULAR NO. 71-97, October 23, 1997

TO	: ALL JUDGES OF REGIONAL TRIAL COURTS
SUBJECT	: SERVICE OF NOTICES, MOTIONS, ORDERS JUDGMENTS AND OTHER PAPERS IN LAND REGISTRATION CASES

This Office has received a letter dated 19 September 1997 from Acting
Secretary Antonio G. M. La Vina of the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources (DENR) in relation to land registration cases filed
with the courts in which the Lands Management Bureau of the said
Department has been impleaded to handle the disposition of public lands.
Acting Secretary La Vina informs this Office (1) that, pursuant to the
provisions of Executive Order No. 192 entitled “Providing for the
Reorganization of the Department of Environment, Energy and Natural
Resources; Renaming it as the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources and for Other Purposes” dated 10 June 1987, the Lands
Management Bureau had been tasked as the policy-making arm of the DENR
concerning the effective and efficient management, survey and
disposition of public alienable and disposable lands, government-owned
lands and other lands not placed under the jurisdiction of other
government agencies; and (2) that the line functions of the Lands
Management Bureau, including the handling of land registration cases,
had been transferred to the DENR Regional Offices.

Acting Secretary La Vina requests that all notices, motions, orders,
judgments and other papers relative to the handling of land registration
cases be sent to the Regional Executive director (RED) of the DENR
Regional Office with jurisdiction over the land subject of the case, in
view of the change in the function of the Lands Management Bureau herein
adverted to and the following additional circumstances: (1) the
notices, motions, orders, judgment and other papers will be transmitted
and acted upon more expeditiously if sent to the DENR Regional Office
concerned, considering the proximity of these Regional Offices to the
courts; and (2) the Held lawyers in the DENR Regional Offices will be
able to handle these cases more efficiently, as the said cases had been
investigated by the said Regional Offices and the records pertaining
thereto are in their custody.

In view of the foregoing, it is hereby directed that the courts
concerned serve all notices, .notions, orders, judgments and other
papers re ative to the land registration cases herein referred to upon
the Regional Execute Director of the DENR Regional Office with
jurisdiction over the land subject matter of the cases
involved.

October 23, 1997.

(SGD. )ALFREDO L. BENIPAYO Court Administrator