DPWH Reviews Current Road Right-of-way Acquisition Process

Legal experts of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Legal Service and chiefs of all DPWH Right-of-Way and Legal Division (ROWALD) of Regional Offices nationwide met for a two-day meeting which aims to revisit existing programs, policies and issues on road right-of-way (RROW) acquisition and other legal concerns.

Led by DPWH Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Anne Sharlyne G. Lapuz, the event which was held from November 17 to 18, 2022 in Bayleaf Hotel, Intramuros, Manila, highlighted the proposed improvements on the process flow between the DPWH Legal Service and the ROWALD of DPWH regional offices across the country.

“The main agenda of this meeting is to ensure we address current issues to facilitate timely RROW acquisition, especially for high-impact projects under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration’s “Build, Better, More” Program,” said Undersecretary Lapuz.

Citing a report from DPWH Legal Service Director Gliricidia C. Tumaliuan-Ali, Undersecretary Lapuz explained that problems on ROW acquisition still remain as the most common cause of delay in project implementation, hence the need to further improve the Department’s ROW processes.

Other topics that were discussed during the meeting include the Infrastructure Right-of-Way Management Application (IROWMA) which allows automation of ROW documents, and enhanced monitoring of ROW acquisition; relocation of poles owned by electric cooperatives; funding and claims involving Certificates of Ancestral Domain Titles (CADT) and Certificates of Ancestral Land Titles (CALT); as well as other ROW-related issues in every region.

Also present during the meeting were: DPWH Assistant Secretary for Legal Service Mel John I. Versoza and DPWH National Capital Region Director Loreta M. Malaluan.

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