Guidelines on the Annotation of Legal Basis in the Survey Plans in Case of Change of Political Jurisdiction or Names of Local Government Units (LGUs)

DENR Administrative Order No. 2025-11

Subject: Guidelines on the Annotation of Legal Basis in the Survey Plans in Case of Change of Political Jurisdiction or Names of Local Government Units

Signed: February 2025 . Published: Daily Tribune, March 14, 2025 . Acknowledged: ONAR, U.P. Law Center, March 19, 2025

Legal Basis

Executive Order No. 192 (DENR Reorganization Act); RA 7160 (Local Government Code of 1991); RA 11032 (Ease of Doing Business Act); DAO 2007-29 (Revised Regulations on Land Surveys); and DMC 2010-13 (Manual on Land Survey Procedures).

SECTION 3. Scope and Coverage

Pending and newly submitted survey plans and political boundary maps covering areas affected by laws on the creation, division, merger, or abolition of LGUs or by court decisions on boundary disputes; and existing survey plans in DENR custody.

SECTION 5. Annotation Requirements

• Former name: the former name follows the present name, for example "Zamboanga Sibugay (Formerly Zamboanga del Sur)."
• Legal basis: a note, preferably at the bottom left of the plan in the Notes section, citing the title of the law, ordinance, executive order, decision, or proclamation and its date of effectivity or issuance.
• Accepted bases include Supreme Court entries of judgment, presidential proclamations and decrees, executive orders, republic acts, and certifications, ordinances, and resolutions of local legislative bodies, COMELEC, DILG, or local chief executives.
• Geodetic engineers must use the PSA Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC) for correct barangay, municipality, city, and province names before submitting survey returns for LAMS-IVAS.

SECTION 6. Evaluation Procedures

Private geodetic engineers annotate pending and new survey plans. The Regional Surveys and Mapping Division (SMD) verifies the annotation against PSA and other records, coordinates any corrections with the engineer, and processes the plan under standard LAMS-IVAS procedures. For previously approved plans and political boundary maps, the Regional SMD inventories affected plans, annotates them upon an Order of Correction, and uploads them to LAMS.

SECTION 7. Order of Correction

The Assistant Regional Director for Technical Services issues an Order of Correction (Annex D template) before any change to approved plans or boundary maps. The Chief of the Regional SMD amends the political boundary map within fifteen (15) calendar days of receipt.

SECTION 8. Transitory Provision

IVAS processing periods for pending plans needing annotation corrections are suspended until corrected, which the concerned section must complete within five (5) calendar days of referral.

Effectivity

Takes effect fifteen (15) days after publication in a newspaper of general circulation and upon acknowledgement by ONAR.

Signed by Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga. Summary prepared by EnviSynergy from the official DENR issuance; refer to the full text for binding provisions.