Guidelines Prescribing the Installation of the Land Administration and Management System (LAMS) and Preparation of Records for Data Capture and LAMS Operationalization Pursuant to DENR Administrative Order (DAO) No. 2010-18 Dated June 23, 2010

May 29, 2012

LMB MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 001-12

 

In line with the strategies identified in the Land Sector Development Framework (LSDF) plan and pursuant to Section 6, Item 3 of DAO No. 2010-18 dated June 23, 2010 which provides for the issuance of the guidelines pertaining to the installation, data capture and piloting of the Land Administration and Management System (LAMS), and in order to provide the scheme to be adopted for outsourcing the data capture activities designed to facilitate data build-up for full operationalization of the LAMS by CY 2015, the following guidelines are hereby issued for the guidance and compliance of all concerned.

SECTION 1. Policy Objectives. —

The following objectives shall serve as the guiding framework in the institutionalization of the Land Administration and Management System (LAMS):

1. To complete the installation of LAMS in all Land Management Services (LMS) offices (LMB, Regional Offices, PENROs and CENROs).

2. To define the activities to be undertaken by the respective offices, provide for the structure and responsible officials for their implementation, and delineate their respective responsibilities.

3. To prepare the land records under the custody of the LMS particularly the work area and storage facilities to facilitate smooth undertaking of the data capture activities. STADIH

4. To transform all land records stored at the LMS Offices as accountable documents.

5. Ensure that the plan to contract out/outsource the work is according to the planned period.

6. To strengthen the capacity of the LMS in managing and supervising the activities to be outsourced.

7. To develop expertise among LMS personnel in using LAMS and in improving delivery of land-related services.

The remaining CY 2011 and the CY 2012 LAMS budget will have to be re-focused to prioritize the first three (3) activities mentioned above during the first semester of CY 2012, while the Terms of Reference (TOR) is being prepared for the procurement process for the outsourcing of the data capture activity to be awarded in early 2013.

Public land and survey records shall be uniformly captured by provinces, cities and municipalities nationwide. Hence, land records shall be sorted/arranged and accessed in the manner herein provided.

SECTION 2. Scope and Coverage. —

This Circular covers all public land and survey records under the custody of the Land Management Services (LMB, Regions, PENROs and CENROs).

SECTION 3. General Approaches to LAMS Implementation. —

1. Complete the installation of LAMS in all the LMS offices (Region/PENRO/CENRO);

2. Prepare the records and facilities, including inventory, classification/prioritization and grooming of records for efficient and effective data capture;

3. Adopt the LAMS as the main platform in the scanning and encoding works to gain the necessary personnel experience/expertise to effectively supervise and manage the outsourcing activity; EHSTcC

4. Devise means and ways in migrating all existing databases and reformatting the data into the LAM system;

5. Ensure integrity and security of the records during the data capture processes by providing space and access in a well-defined manner;

6. Redefine the duties and responsibilities of the LMS employees directly involved in LAMS operations by instituting capacity-building measures.

SECTION 4. Additional Financing (AF). —

The Additional Financing (AF) is a three (3)-year project undertaking which intends to apply the learnings and methodologies under the LAMP2. The key objective is to complete the data build-up or the conversion of the existing DENR land records to digital data base in order to fully operationalize the LAMS prescribed under DAO No. 2010-18 nationwide.

The overall strategy in the data build-up of land records using LAMS as the main platform is to outsource the conduct of scanning and encoding of all public land and survey records. The outsourcing shall be done through International Competitive Bidding (ICB) at the Regional level and at the LMB simultaneously. Bidding shall start tentatively by the third (3rd) quarter of CY 2012 covering the first batch of four (4) Regions and the next batch covering the remaining Regions. Consequently, there will be a total of seventeen (17) contracts for the data capture activity.

SECTION 5. Project Implementation Structure. —

5.1 Regional/PENRO/CENRO Levels

The Region shall finalize the creation of the Regional LAMS Core Group to include the Region, PENRO, and CENRO through a Special Order to be recommended by the Regional Technical Director (RTD) for Lands and issued by the Regional Executive Director (RED). The Regional/PENRO/CENRO Organizational Structure is attached as Annex A. CDHcaS

The Regional LAMS Core Group shall be headed by a LAMS Coordinator officially designated by the RED. The Regional LAMS Core Group shall be composed of five (5) Teams/Groups with members comprising of the following:

1. Regional Land Records Team

— Team Leader

— 2 Records Officers (Survey & LMD)

— Contractual Staff

2. LAMS Technical Support Team

— Team Leader

— IT Staff (Hardware & LAMS Maintenance)

3. PENRO/CENRO Land Records Focal Group

— Team leader

— Record Officer, PENRO

— Record Officer, CENRO

— Contractual Staff

4. Computerized Verification Team

— Head, Computer Verification Unit

— Verifiers trained under LAMS

— Contractual Staff

The designated LAMS Coordinator shall be responsible in the overall coordination of the activities within the Region and shall directly report to the RTD for Lands. He shall have the following duties and responsibilities:

1. Supervises and monitors the daily operation of the five Teams/Groups; DCcHIS

2. Ensures that the activities mentioned in this Circular relative to the installation of LAMS/LAMS Lite and the preparation of records (i.e., inventory/sorting/grooming) including directives and/or instructions relevant to the implementation of LAMS is properly implemented;

3. Establishes effective linkages to address issues and concerns relevant to the implementation of the data build-up activity for outsourcing in close coordination with the Regional Planning Officers;

4. Recommends policies and/or guidelines, rules and regulations to effectively implement LAMS project;

5. Submits progress and other reports to the Office of the RED through the RTD for Lands copy furnished the Land Management Bureau every end of the month; and

6. Calls upon any personnel and/or key officials through channel to render assistance/support to the project.

5.2 Land Management Bureau (LMB) Level

A LAMS Core Group shall also be constituted at the LMB, to be headed by an LMB LAMS Coordinator. A Special Order for this purpose shall be issued by the LMB Director.

SECTION 6. Activities. —

The LMB and LMS field offices shall be responsible for the following activities:

6.1 Complete the installation of LAMS in all LMS offices

1. The LMB and Regional LAMS Core Groups must ensure that LAMS and LAMS-lite system is installed in the Regional and PENRO/CENRO offices, respectively; with operators assigned and trained to use it. The minimum requirement is that at least fifteen (15) computer stations, a server with on-line connectivity, a document and a large format scanner attached to one of the five computers is installed at the Regional Office. At the PENR Offices, the minimum requirement is three (3) computer stations, and one (1) scanner, and at the CENR Offices, the minimum requirement is three (3) computer stations and one (1) scanner. A LAMS Team will be mobilized in all regions to ensure completion of these activities. DCASIT

2. The LMB and Regional LAMS Core Groups shall ensure that the distribution and installation in the DENR offices of all hardware equipment necessary for LAMS are in accordance with the project specifications and will be responsive to the needs and demands of the project.

6.2 Preparation of Records

The activities on preparation of records consist of inventory, sorting and grooming of the records in the custody of the LMB, Regional Offices, PENR and CENR Offices. These activities should be completed within a period of six (6) months or by November 2012.

It should be ensured that no duplication of records preparation activities shall happen at the different office levels. Thus, in the inventory, sorting and grooming of records, the following tasking should be considered:

1. The PENROs shall conduct inventory, sorting and grooming of ALL PATENTED LOTS from 1990 to present;

2. The CENRO shall conduct inventory, sorting and grooming of ALL ONGOING AND PENDING PLAs, and ALL PATENTED LOTs only up to year 1989;

3. In case where PENROs are not retaining the original carpeta of the PLAs, the inventory, sorting and grooming shall be done at the CENROs or vice versa;

4. Where the above conditions are not applicable, the Regional Office shall so decide and determine the extent of activities for inventory, sorting and grooming in PENROs and CENROs.

The sorting and grooming of records shall be done on a per batch basis which may consist of completing a municipality/city/province at a time. This is to ensure that the contractor will have a complete batch of records readily available for scanning and encoding when the time comes, while the Region is preparing to complete all other records of other municipalities/cities/provinces.

After finishing the sorting, inventory and grooming of records at the respective offices, the inventory officer should sign and stamp or mark the carpeta/survey envelope as "INVENTORIED/SORTED AS OF ____(date)____". STaCcA

1. Sorting and Inventory:

Records will be sorted/segregated by Province (for survey records at the Regional office) and by city/municipality (for PENRO and CENRO records) and further grouped as follows: 

— Public land records (PLA carpetas, index cards, Registry books)

— Survey Records (Cadastral maps/plans, isolated surveys, Lot Data Computation Sheets (LDCs)

In the case of public land records, the inventory shall be done by the actual sorting of the sheets in each carpeta composed of the documents listed in the attached matrix (Annex B), depending on the type of public land application (PLA). In case of survey records, the inventory shall be done by the actual sorting of the sheets in each survey envelope, which consist of the documents listed in Annex C.

Only original copies of documents as identified in the listing shall be scanned. Hence, the documents sorted and groomed shall be placed on top (inside) of the carpeta. In case where original documents are no longer available, consider the clear duplicate copy to be scanned. The documents will then be classified according to quality — whether it can still be scanned or not; and further grouped/sorted and labeled as good, average, or poor, including the number of records in each category. Documents that are good in quality are those records that can be scanned directly without necessity of grooming. Average documents are those records that require grooming before they can be scanned. Poor documents are those records that are unreadable, brittle, and susceptible to being destroyed if scanned.

Records identified with controversy and/or in conflict with other records either under process or with claims and conflict as well as records categorized as missing and/or decentralized shall be filed separately and tagged as such. The scanning of these records shall be done separately.

Records categorized in poor condition shall be filed separately for future determination of appropriate method of data conversion. SACHcD

The determination of the volume of records to be scanned and encoded per Region is a very important information as this will be the basis of the amount to be allocated for the outsourcing work. The Terms of Reference (TOR) for this contract needs to be completed by end of June 2012 in order for the procurement process to be completed by the first quarter of 2013. For purposes of immediate determination of the volume of each record, the existing inventory of each Region if deemed accurate may be used and updated. An initial inventory report using the attached Forms 1A and 1B (Annex D). will have to be submitted to LMB not later than May 31, 2012. The final report which will be more detailed and will include the status of each record will be submitted by end of November 2012 using the prescribed Forms 2A and 2B (Annex E).

2. Grooming:

Records that are classified as good and average will have to be groomed for scanning by carefully dusting with a lint-free brush, staple wire removal, unfolding of folded pages, trimming, taping, putting them in plastic envelopes and filing them in storage shelves or cabinets. The same process will be done for other set of records. If the space allow, the process can be done simultaneously with all the set of records.

3. Scanning and Encoding:

Given that the entire scanning and encoding work will now be outsourced by next year, the current similar activities being undertaken by the Regional offices may still be continued strictly using LAMS, provided that sufficient budget has been provided for sorting, inventory and grooming of records, including supplies and facility preparation.

The objective is to gain familiarity with scanning and encoding work and test assumptions on productivity rate which will be an important reference in validating the initial costs determined for outsourcing. This will also allow Regions to gain expertise in dealing with contractors and, for this purpose, prioritize areas for data capture depending on transactions and activeness of the identified provinces.

The Regional Offices shall allot a work area of at least 30 m2 for the above activities, while the PENRO and CENRO shall allot a space of at least 10 m2. TDcAIH

6.3 Pilot-Testing of Scanning and Encoding

After the sorting, inventory, classification and grooming of the records is done, a pilot area for scanning and encoding will be selected by the Region. There will be one pilot area per CENRO, which will be a city or a municipality.

If possible, the pilot testing of scanning and encoding shall be done simultaneously with the preparation of records. A Team shall be assigned to undertake scanning and encoding of the pilot area to test assumptions on productivity. The pilot area should be completed within a period of three (3) months. The Team composed of at least six (6) personnel shall be headed by the LAMS Coordinator with the following members: Computer Encoder, Computer Operator, Data Controller, Scanner and Filer.

As an initial activity for pilot testing by PENROs and CENROs in scanning and encoding using LAMS, the former shall conduct ONLY SCANNING OF PATENTED PLAS from 1990 to present in one municipality/city the same as those selected by the latter.

The CENROs shall likewise conduct both the ENCODING OF ALL PLAs, and SCANNING OF ALL PATENTED PLAs up to year 1989 only in one municipality/city. To complete the database information of CENRO for encoding of patented lots in LAMS, the PENROs shall provide information or data on the approval and transmittal of patents. This is to ensure completion of LAMS database to the selected pilot sites of PENROs and CENROs which shall later on be excluded from the coverage of the contractor.

Important lessons and strategies should be identified and properly documented and submitted to the LMB.

The technical specifications for pilot testing of scanning and encoding shall be issued separately.

SECTION 7. Non-Suspension of Public Land Transactions and Land Survey Activities. — ATICcS

The conduct of all these activities should not unduly prejudice the public's access to LMB's and LMS' records. Hence, public transactions on land and survey records as well as land survey activities shall not be suspended except when minor disruptions is necessary to facilitate completion of the sorting and grooming activities.

SECTION 8. Security Measures. —

In all LMS offices, appropriate security measures shall be adopted to ensure security of records at all stages of the preparation and grooming of records. The concerned Records Officer shall supervise the conduct of records preparation. He/she shall ensure that there is no unauthorized reproduction, copying of records thru digital or manual means, tampering, alteration, substitution, insertion, pilferage and that no records are taken out of the working area. Closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) cameras shall be installed in working areas.

The concerned Records Officer supervising the preparation and grooming of records shall be held responsible for any and all violations of the above security measures and shall be dealt with accordingly.

SECTION 9. LAMS Monitoring System. —

The monitoring of the implementation of these activities nationwide shall be done by the LAMS National Coordinating Desk, the structure of which shall be prescribed through an Order/Circular.

A monthly progress report shall be submitted by the Regions to the LMB through the LAMS National Coordinating Desk every fifth (5th) day of the ensuing month using the prescribed Forms 3A-F (Annex F).

SECTION 10. Funding Source. —

All activities on records preparation including pilot testing of scanning and encoding shall be funded under the Regular Fund (LAMS) and any additional budget from other possible sources. The existing Work and Financial Plan (WFP) for LAMS 2012 shall be revisited and adjusted.

SECTION 11. Additional Guidelines. —

Additional guidelines will be issued in support of these activities.

SECTION 12. Separability Clause. —

If for any reason or reasons, one of the part or parts of this Circular is/are held invalid by reason of any existing policy, law, rules and regulations issued for the purpose, other part or parts hereof shall continue to be in full force and effect.

SECTION 13. Repealing Clause. —

All issuances inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 14. Effectivity. —

This Circular takes effect immediately.

 

(SGD.) ENGR. RALPH C. PABLOOIC, Director