Certified True Copy (CTC) of a CLOA Title in the Philippines
A practitioner’s one-stop legal guide
1. What is a CLOA?
| Acronym | Meaning | Governing law | Key agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLOA | Certificate of Land Ownership Award – the Torrens title issued to agrarian-reform beneficiaries (ARBs) under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) | Republic Act No. 6657 (CARP Law) as amended by R.A. 7881 & R.A. 9700 | Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR); registration handled by the Land Registration Authority (LRA) through the provincial/municipal Registry of Deeds (ROD) |
A CLOA is a fully fledged Torrens title once it is registered with the ROD, but it carries statutory annotations:
- A 10-year non-transferability (measured from the date of registration, not from the date of award);
- A Land Bank of the Philippines lien for the amortization schedule;
- A notation that conversion or mortgage needs DAR clearance while the prohibitions subsist.
2. Why request a Certified True Copy?
A CTC is the Registry’s best-evidence copy of the Torrens title, bearing the ROD’s dry seal and certification stamp. Typical use-cases:
- Land due-diligence (sale, lease, joint venture, conversion, or consolidation once the 10-year bar lapses);
- Loan collateral evaluation (banks require both the owner’s duplicate and a recent CTC of the original);
- Court or quasi-judicial proceedings (e.g., redemption, cancellation of encumbrances, re-titling in heirs’ names);
- DAR compliance audits (e.g., Field Investigation Reports, Valuation/Compensation cases);
- Public procurement where government buys agrarian-reform land for infrastructure or socialized housing (the implementing agency attaches the CTC to the Deed of Sale and to DBM/CoA documentation).
3. Legal basis for issuing a CTC
| Provision | Key takeaway |
|---|---|
| Section 61, Property Registration Decree (P.D. 1529) | The Register of Deeds shall furnish certified copies of any certificate of title upon payment of prescribed fees. |
| DAR Administrative Order 02-2016 (as updated) | Confirms that once a CLOA is registered, it is treated like an ordinary Torrens title for purposes of issuance of certified copies. |
| LRA Circular No. 35-2019 | Integrates CLOA titles into the Land Titling Computerization Project (LTCP); permits printing of e-CTC with barcode. |
4. Where to file the request
- Physical counter – the ROD that issued and keeps the original title (always the ROD where the land is located, even if the ARB later transfers residency).
- eSerbisyo Portal / LTCP kiosks – available in most NCR and key provincial registries; prints an e-CTC on security paper with QR code.
- One-Stop-Shop for Agrarian Justice Concerns (OSS-AJC) – accepts walk-in requests and transmits them to the ROD for remote communities (pilot in Regions II & VIII).
Tip: If the CLOA has never been registered (rare but happens with backlogs), the DAR Provincial Office, not the ROD, holds the owner’s duplicate. The farmer-beneficiary must first cause registration before any CTC can be issued.
5. Documentary requirements
| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Completed RD Request Form (Form RD-1) | Indicate Title No., CLOA No., Lot/Blk/Survey No., location, name of ARB. |
| Valid government-issued ID | If representative: include Special Power of Attorney (SPA) + IDs of both parties. |
| Official Receipt (fee) | See fee schedule below. |
| If via courier | Self-addressed envelope & prepaid waybill; some registries require notarized SPA. |
6. Fees and processing time ¹
| Item | Statutory rate (LRA Schedule of Fees) |
|---|---|
| Basic certification fee | ₱100.00 per title |
| Copying fee | ₱20.00 per page (first two pages), ₱10.00 per succeeding page |
| Computer service fee (e-CTC) | ₱200.00 flat |
| Courier (optional) | Actual courier charges |
Normal: 3-5 working days Express / e-CTC: same-day or next business day (depends on kiosk availability)
¹ Local Sanggunian ordinances may impose an additional documentary stamp tax of ₱15.00 per page; check your ROD.
7. Step-by-step procedure
- Title search – verify exact Title & CLOA number in the logbook or e-Title database.
- Assessment – ROD staff compute fees based on page count (include memoranda of encumbrances).
- Payment & Official Receipt – pay at cashier; keep OR.
- Preparation – ROD photocopies the original title or prints the e-image; the Registrar signs and embosses the dry seal.
- Release – sign the logbook; check for completeness (all annotations stamped Certified true and correct).
- Electronic authentication (optional) – scan the QR/barcode at LRA-verify website to download a hash-signed PDF, useful for e-court filing.
8. Common pitfalls & how to avoid them
| Pitfall | Practical remedy |
|---|---|
| Unregistered CLOA | Ask DAR to transmit the owner’s duplicate & deed of conveyance to the ROD; pay registration fees first. |
| Multiple titles issued (overlapping surveys) | File a petition for reconciliation of technical description with the LRA Adjudication Board (formerly CFI). |
| Title lost or destroyed in calamity | Initiate a re-issuance of original title under Sec. 109 P.D. 1529; court-ordered reconstitution precedes CTC issuance. |
| Outstanding Land Bank lien | Clearance from LBP or DARAD needed before annotations can be partially cancelled on the CTC. |
| Ten-year non-alienation period still running | CTC can still be issued, but ROD will not annotate transfers; parties must respect the restriction. |
9. Relevance to public procurement & government projects
- Right-of-Way (ROW) acquisitions – DPWH/DOE/DOTr require an updated CTC to establish clean ownership and check for pending liens before paying landowners.
- Socialized Housing – NHA & LGUs attach the CTC to the Deed of Sale & Sanggunian Resolution to satisfy Commission on Audit pre-audit.
- Agricultural estate consolidation – DA & DAR projects (e.g., Farm-to-Market Roads) need the CTC to process Deed of Voluntary Land Transfer or Co-ownership Agreements.
The Government Procurement Reform Act (R.A. 9184) does not expressly require a CTC, but GPPB Resolution 09-2020 lists “proof of ownership” as part of post-qualification for land acquisition, and the standard proof is an ROD-issued certified copy.
10. Digital transformation milestones
| Year | Milestone | Impact on CTC issuance |
|---|---|---|
| 2012-2019 | Land Titling Computerization Project (Phase I, LARES) | Scanned CLOA images migrated; enabled barcode printing. |
| 2020 | e-Serbisyo Portal soft-launch | Remote CTC requests, online payment (PayMaya, GCash). |
| 2023 | DAR–LRA Data Reconciliation Project | Matched 4.1 million CLOAs; reduced “no record on file” incidents. |
| 2024 | e-Notary & e-Apostille integration | CTCs now accepted in e-court and cross-border proceedings (Hague Convention). |
11. Sample request letter (for representatives)
Date: 08 July 2025 To: The Registrar of Deeds, Province of Camarines Sur Subject: Request for Certified True Copy of CLOA Title
Dear Sir/Madam:
I, Juan Dela Cruz, do hereby authorize Atty. Maria Santos to request and claim a Certified True Copy of Original Certificate of Title No. CLOA-1234, covering Lot 5, Psu-123456, located in Barangay San Isidro, Municipality of Pili, Camarines Sur, registered in the names of Juan Dela Cruz et al. under CARP.
Attached are (a) my valid ID, (b) the representative’s ID, and (c) duly notarized Special Power of Attorney.
Thank you.
Respectfully,
sgd. Juan Dela Cruz
12. Frequently-asked questions
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Can I use my owner’s duplicate instead of a CTC? | Courts & banks usually still require a CTC issued within the last 3-6 months. |
| Is there an expiration? | The document doesn’t expire, but institutions impose freshness rules (commonly 6 months). |
| What if I see an unexpected annotation? | Secure a certified copy of the annotation itself (Deed, Writ, etc.) from the same ROD and consult counsel. |
| Can a CTC be apostilled for use abroad? | Yes, after verified by the DFA’s Authentication Division (green apostille sticker). |
13. Penalties for falsification
- Art. 171, Revised Penal Code – Falsification of public documents (6 years-1 day to 12 years).
- Sec. 11, R.A. 11032 (Ease of Doing Business Act) – Grave offense for public officers who willfully delay or deny issuance.
- Sec. 7, R.A. 10175 (Cybercrime Law) – If an e-CTC or QR code is tampered with digitally.
14. Best-practice checklist for practitioners
- ☐ Verify registration date to compute the 10-year lock-in.
- ☐ Search for both the mother CLOA and any subdivision titles.
- ☐ Cross-match the tax declaration and latest real-property tax clearance.
- ☐ Order a Certified Technical Description when boundaries are disputed.
- ☐ Keep digital scans plus paper copies; QR codes expire when systems migrate.
15. Conclusion
Obtaining a Certified True Copy of a CLOA title is straightforward but detail-oriented. The practitioner must (1) identify the correct registry, (2) comply with LRA-prescribed forms and fees, (3) respect agrarian restrictions reflected on the face of the title, and (4) anticipate electronic authentication requirements in the evolving e-Title environment. Mastery of these steps not only accelerates private land transactions but also ensures seamless government procurement and infrastructure rollout—all while safeguarding the integrity of the agrarian-reform land-tenure system.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for formal legal advice. For specific transactions or disputes, consult the Registry of Deeds, the DAR Provincial Agrarian Reform Adjudicator, or a licensed Philippine lawyer.