Republic Act No. 63

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippine Congress Assembled:

Section 1

Section one of Commonwealth Act Numbered Six hundred ninety-one is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Sec. 1. Any citizen of the Philippines who is more than eight years of age and who does not own more than twenty-four hectares of land in the Philippines, nor who shares in the benefits of any free distribution of any public land since the occupation of the Philippines by the United States, may apply for the cultivation of a lot of agricultural land of the public domain, which is neither occupied nor reserved for public purposes, having an area of not to exceed twenty-four hectares, and a residential lot of not to exceed one thousand six hundred square meters and obtain free title to the same, as provided for herein, giving preference to those who are indigents as well as those who have any dependents to support."

Section 2

Section two of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Sec. 2. For the purposes of this Act, the Director of Lands shall take steps for the classification and survey of agricultural lands of the public domain, especially those bordering on national highways. The lands thus classified shall be subdivided into lots of not less than eight nor more than twenty-four hectares each, depending upon the location of the lots and the crop adaptability of the soil, and into residential lots of not less than six hundred nor more than one thousand six hundred square meters each in suitably located residential sites, and in order to speed up the survey and subdivision work, the services of private surveyors duly qualified may be employed in which case the Director of Lands shall impose the condition that not more than five thousand hectares in superficial area shall be assigned to a surveyor, nor more than ten thousand hectares to a partnership or group of surveyors. The survey work shall be given to the best bidder and same shall not be adjudicated until the surveyor or partnership or group of surveyors shall have furnished a bond satisfactory to the Director of Lands in sum equivalent to thirty per centum, at least, of the total value or amount agreed upon for the survey work, to answer for its faithful performance."

Section 3

Section seven of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

"Sec. 7. No certificate whatever shall be issued nor shall any deed of ownership of the land applied for be extended until at least one-fourth of the land has been improved and cultivated. The period in which cultivation of the said land shall be made shall not be less than one year nor more than five years, from the date of approval of the application. The applicant, during the period, shall notify the Director of Lands, as soon as the said applicant is in readiness to acquire the title. If on the date of said notification the applicant proves to the satisfaction of the Director of Lands that he has settled (and resided) for at least one year in the land itself or in the residential section of the same colony site and has cultivated continuously at least one-fourth of the land since the date of approval of the application, and subscribes to an affidavit that no part of the said land has been transferred or encumbered, and that he has fulfilled all the requisites set forth in this Act, he shall then be entitled to a free title to the said land."

Section 4

This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved: October 17, 1946.