The Supreme Court has warned court judges to comply strictly with Land Registration Authority (LRA) circulars on land registration cases aimed at preventing duplication of titles, falsified court decisions for issuance of land decrees and irregular reconstitution of supposedly lost or destroyed land titles. 

In an Administrative Circular No. 7-96, after listing the LRA circulars, Chief Justice Andres R. Narvasa said: "All judges and clerks of court of regional trial courts, metropolitan trial courts, municipal trial courts in cities, municipal circuit trial courts are hereby reminded, under pain of disciplinary sanctions, henceforth to comply strictly with the aforementioned circular." 

The High Court's attention has been called, Narvasa saind, to the fact that judges and clerks of court, in exercising their functions, "fail to observe pertinent LRA circulars" on ordinary and cadastral land registration cases." 

Earlier, court Administrator Ernani Cruz Pano and Deputy Court Administrator Reynaldo Suarez had conferred with LRA Administrator Reynaldo Maulit and Deputy Administrators Ricardo Arandilla and Alicia Ganzon and Greater Manila Registrar of Deeds Expedito Javier on the court's participation in the campaigning against faking of land titles. 

Suarez took part in the recent Inter-Agency Land Titling Conference with its theme "Unified Government Response to Land Titling Problems" which discussed measures on moves to tighten processes. 

Officials of the LRA, the Department of Agrarian Reform, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Financing through the Bureau of Local Government Finance and the Office of the Solicitor General formed a legal and technical committee to formulate a common manual of operations affecting land titling. 

In his administrative circular to the judges and clerks of court, Narvasa cited the following LRA issuances on ordinary and cadastral land registration cases which the courts have failed to follow. 

1.  The Manual of Instructions dated February 20, 1991 for insuring   
     uniform and expeditious procedure in the court's adjudication of land
     titles under Presidential Decree No. 1529 and Act 2259, as amended,
     or the Property Registration  Decree and  the Cadastral Act,
     respectively. 

2.  LRC Circular No. 364 dated December 5, 1979 prescribing
     supplemental rules on inscription of technical descriptions under
     PD1529 and inscription of technical descriptions under RA 26 and
     plotting of technical descriptions of lots in petitions for reconstitution of
     lost or destroyed certificates of title. 

3.  LRC Circular No. 35 date June 13, 1983, prescribing supplemental
     rules governing the reconstitution of lost or destroyed certificates of
     title. 

4.  LRC Circular No. 53 dated August 15, 1984, reiterating LRC 
     Circular No. 1176 on precautionary measures to prevent falsification
     of decisions and orders for the issuance of decrees. 

5. Circular No. 91 of the National Land Title and Deeds Registration
    Administration (NLTDRA) dated November 27, 1986, reiterating
    clearance required in land registration cases.