This case has been cited 1 times or more.
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2011-08-15 |
BRION, J. |
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| While these actions ordinarily fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the RTC, the court's jurisdiction to resolve controversies involving ownership of real property extends only to private lands. In the present case, neither party has asserted private ownership over Lot 322. The respondents acknowledged the public character of Lot 322 by mainly relying on the administrative findings of the DENR in their complaint-in-intervention, instead of asserting their own private ownership of the property. For his part, the petitioner's act of applying for a free patent with the Bureau of Lands is an acknowledgment that the land covered by his application is a public land[27] whose management and disposition belong to the DENR Secretary, with the assistance of the Bureau of Lands. Section 4, Chapter 1, Title XIV of Executive Order No. 292[28] reads: Section 4. Powers and Functions. - The Department [of Environment and Natural Resources] shall: | |||||