SPANISH TITLES NO LONGER USED AS EVIDENCE OF LAND OWNERSHIP

> Although evidence of ownership, Spanish titles may be lost through prescription

> PD 592: Spanish titles may no longer be used as evidence of land ownership in all registration proceedings—the reason for this is the proliferation of dubious Spanish titles which have raised conflicting claims of ownership and tended to destabilize the Torrens system of registration

> The abovementioned decree also noted that fraudulent sales, transfers, and other forms of conveyances of large tracts of public and private lands to unsuspecting and unwary buyers appear to have been perpetrated by unscrupulous persons claiming ownership under Spanish titles or grants of dubious origin, and that these fraudulent transactions have often resulted in conflicting claims and litigations between legitimate land holders, bona fide occupants or applicants of public lands, on the one hand, and holders of, or persons claiming rights under, the said Spanish titles or grants, on the other, creating confusion and
instability in property ownership and threatening the peace and order of conditions in the areas affected (Agcaoili, p.30)