Dalaguete Uses Quantum GIS to Build a Multi-Purpose Cadastre

Bgy Tapon, Municipality of Dalaguete

On the week of April 26 this year our project “Property Rights for Economic Progress” trained six local governments in Cebu Province to build multi-purpose cadastres.  Our objective was to enable them to build digital parcel files for one Barangay. This would help them undertake titling activities in partnership with DENR VII.

Cebu City Councilor Bebot Abellanosa, founder and owner of the Asian College of Technology, allowed us to use one of his computer classrooms for the training. Our lead trainer Dennis Matutina (on loan from the City of General Santos) taught the participants how to use Quantum GIS, a Free and Open Source Software for spatial information processing. 

Using Quantum was a new thing for me as I had been nursed on ESRI products. It was also intended to help LGUs jump over the procurement hump – assuming they had the budget to buy commercial GIS, it usually takes them at least two months to complete the procurement process.

DENR VII provided photocopies of Lot Data Computations. Dennis taught the participants how to encode the LDC data and turn these into lot parcels. He also taught them how to add attribute information to their data sets – such as the Lot Number and the disposition of each lot.

On the last week of September my colleage Loubert Tan attended the Land Management Council Meeting of the Municipality of Dalaguete. In that meeting, Municipal Assessor Ed Centeno presented the output of their GIS training – a lot parcel map of Bgy Tapon. The map shows which lands are already titled, or untitled, or applied for, or are disputed by claimants.  The Municipality would focus their titling efforts on the public lands that are still not titled.

Seems like our training exercise worked. If Dalaguete can build a digital cadastre for one barangay, it can do the same thing for all barangays in its AOR. And if one Municipality can do this, all Municipalities can do it. This is something that can be replicated in other LGUs in the country.

Oh yes Dalaguete encountered problems. They couldn't read data from six LDCs and need DENR VII's help to interpret the documents. Luckily, DENR is implementing an “ISG” project next year. “ISG” stands for “Inventory, Sorting and Grooming” of property records, something that DENR needs to do before the records can be encoded. I was told DENR intends to outsource the encoding. 

When this is completed, LGUs might be able to get copies of the digital parcel files from DENR VII. Then they won’t have to do their own encoding, like Dalaguete did – but Dalaguete will have gained experience already with using Quantum GIS to read and work with the DENR files.

Actually, DENR X is ahead of the curve here. Over the last few years they have been working with LGUs to encode survey records and build digital cadastres. The best example of their output can be found in the Municipality of Maramag (see earlier blog on Maramag’s multi-purpose cadastre).

While Region X is comfortable with digital data sharing, Region VII has decided that in the absence of specific policies from the central office, it would be best to have a MOPA with interested LGUs for this purpose.  As of this writing, both Cordova and Dalaguete are working on the resolutions that would authorize their respective Mayors to sign their data sharing agreements with DENR.

So what will it take to enable more LGUs to have digital land parcel records? First, DENR policies that allow, promote and encourage data sharing; coupled with LGU policies that support the development of land administration capabilities. Second, affordable and easy-to-use GIS software. This needs to be backed up with trainors and training facilities so local staff members will know enough to use the software. Third, ICT equipment, starting with a desktop computer and a printer. If these basics can be available, LGUs can start building their land information systems.