The Baguio City Council has enacted Ordinance 103-2025 which modernizes and streamlines the process for issuing clearances and certifications for the disposition of lands within the Workingmen’s Village.
Authored by Councilor Peter Fianza and signed by Mayor Benjamin Magalong on December 23, 2026, the measure repeals outdated 1948 rules, ensures faster processing for qualified occupants, and aligns procedures with national laws including the Residential Free Patent Act or RA No. 10023.
Under the ordinance, the revised rules cover parcels of land within the Workingmen’s Village originally reserved under the now-revoked Proclamation No. 358, Series of 1938. While transfers of lots already issued with patents or awards remain valid, these updated guidelines primarily apply to new applications and residential free patent conversions, ensuring that bona fide occupants can claim their rightful lots without unnecessary delays.
Applicants seeking clearance or endorsement must submit a written application using the prescribed forms, accompanied by key documents. These include a detailed plan identifying the lot applied for, tax declarations for the land and any improvements, a certificate of non-tax delinquency, an affidavit of relinquishment for areas excluded in residential free patent conversions, an inspection report recommending approval, and barangay clearance verifying current use and absence of conflicting claims. Additional documents may also be required to support the evaluation of the application.
Clearances and certifications will be issued based on official records and may cover the following: whether the land is reserved for city or government purposes, the existence of any claims on the property, and the land’s current and historical classification, particularly for residential free patent applications.
The city government may include conditions or observations in the clearance to support evaluation and approval by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
The ordinance allows the city government to deny or withhold clearances in certain cases such as when the lot lacks access to adjoining properties or when relinquished areas in residential free patent applications cannot serve an identifiable government or public purpose.
Applicants may appeal denials to the Baguio City Council whose decision will be final.
Applicants are required to pay fees for the services rendered: P500.00 per certification, P1,000.00 for inspections, and an additional P1,000 for residential free patent applications to cover the cost of identifying and verifying access to relinquished areas.
The ordinance also provides that these rationalized guidelines may be applied to other public land applications outside the Workingmen’s Village where no specific rules exist.
The old ordinance (Ordinance 65-1948) which previously governed the disposition of Workingmen’s Village lands is now officially repealed, eliminating the need for action by the Baguio City Council on lot transfers or awards under the new system. **Jordan G. Habbiling
