Republic Act No. 9443

AN ACT CONFIRMING AND DECLARING, SUBJECT TO CERTAIN EXCEPTIONS, THE VALIDITY OF EXISTING TRANSFER CERTIFICATES OF TITLE AND RECONSTITUTED CERTIFICATES OF TITLE COVERING THE BANILAD FRIAR LANDS ESTATE, SITUATED IN THE FIRST DISTRICT OF THE CITY OF CEBU

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

Section 1. All existing Transfer Certificates of Title and Reconstituted Certificates of Title duly issued by the Register of Deeds of Cebu Province and/or Cebu City covering any portion of the Banilad Friar Lands Estate, notwithstanding the lack of signatures and/or approval of the then Secretary of the Interior (later Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources) and/or the then Chief of the Bureau of Public Lands (later Director of Public Lands) in the copies of the duly executed Sale Certificates and Assignments of Sales Certificates, as the case may be, now on file with the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) , Cebu City, are hereby confirmed and declared as valid titles and the registered owners recognized as absolute owners thereof.

This confirmation and declaration of validity shall in all respects be entitled to like effect and credit as a decree of registration, binding the land and quieting the title thereto and shall be conclusive upon and against all persons, including the national government and al1 branches thereof; except when, in a given case involving a certificate of title or a reconstituted certificate of title, there is a clear evidence that such certificate of title or reconstituted certificate of title was obtained through fraud, in which case the solicitor general or his duly designated representative shall institute the necessary judicial proceeding to cancel the certificate of title or reconstituted certificate of title as the case may be, obtained through such fraud.

Sec. 2. All laws, decrees, proclamations or issuances contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

Sec. 3. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two national newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,

(Sgd.) MANNY VILLAR

President of the Senate

(Sgd.) JOSE DE VENECIA, JR.

Speaker of the House of Representatives

This Act which originated in the House of Representatives was finally passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on February 20, 2007, respectively.

(Sgd.) OSCAR G. YABES

Secretary of Senate

(Sgd.) ROBERTO P. NAZARENO

Secretary General

House of Representatives

Approved: May 9, 2007

(Sgd.) GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO

President of the Philippines