THE Department of Justice (DOJ) has sought the assistance of the Philippine National Police in going after persons engaged in the manufacture and sale of fake land titles used by con artists and professional squatters to dupe other people of their hard-earned money, the Journal Group learned Saturday.

Particularly being targeted by the DOJ headed by Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla Jr. and the PNP led by General Rommel Francisco D. Marbil are the ‘diploma mills’ along Claro M. Recto Avenue and Sta. Cruz, Manila which, since time immemorial, have been churning fake land and property titles issued by the Land Registration Office.

On Friday last week, a joint DOJ and PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group operation in Sta. Cruz, Manila resulted in the arrest of two persons accused of being part of a ring engaged in the production and sale of fake land titles.

Arrested during the sting were Arnel Cunanan, 51; and Romeo Cabansag, 45. Two others identified as Perlita and Guillermo Alejo are still being hunted as of press time, said DOJ Assistant Secretary Eliseo DC Cruz.

The retired police general is coordinating with the PNP and the LRA headed by Administrator Gerardo Sirios and Asc. Jose Arturo Malvar on how to get personalities involved in the brazen production and sale of fake land titles along the LRC Compound in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

Asec. Cruz said that the entrapment was conducted by undercover officers from the PNP-CIDG National Capital Region Field Unit under Colonel Joel Manuel A. Ana and the Manila Police District under Brigadier Gen. Arnold Thomas C. Ibay led to the arrest of Monte and Cabansag.

The two Alejos managed to escape apprehension and are still being tracked down by CIDG Manila Field Office agents led by Lieutenant Colonel Dominic Poblete.

The couple are now facing charges for direct assault, malicious mischief, falsification of public documents and alarm and scandal under the Revised Penal Code.

Recovered during the operation were two fake Transfer Certificate of Titles or TCTs and the entrapment money topped by a marked P500 bill.

According to Cruz, the DOJ chief has ordered a massive crackdown on criminal syndicates involved in the manufacture and sale of fake or spurious land and property titles.

The penalty of prision mayor and a fine of P25,000 shall be imposed on any person if the document falsified is a certificate of land title or any land patent application, deed, instrument or document in support thereof, reasonably connected with and calculated to cause the issuance of a certificate of land title.

There have also been proposals to make the falsification of land title an offense punishable by life sentence to stop the nefarious practice of anomalous titling of land.

This as the integrity of land titles are guaranteed by Torrens System of Registration and the best evidence of ownership of land or interest therein is the Certificate of Title issued under the system.