Ilocos norte: About 500 free land patents are set to be released to new landowners in February under the Ilocos Norte provincial government's Handog Titulo program, Provincial Assessor Evalaudia Duyor said on Monday. Duyor confirmed that document processing is nearly complete, paving the way for the distribution of the titles next month.

According to Philippines News Agency, the distribution will coincide with the 208th founding anniversary of Ilocos Norte on February 2, fulfilling one of the requests made by Governor Cecilia Araneta-Marcos. Duyor explained that the patent registration was funded by the Provincial Assessor's Office after the memorandum of agreement among the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Agrarian Reform, and the provincial government lapsed.

The land titling initiative, known locally as 'Titulo a Natalged: Sagut ni Ilokano (Title Secure: The Gift of Ilocano),' was launched in 2011 to address long-standing land ownership concerns in the province. Through the REGALA (Revenue Generation and Land Administration Reforms) project and the free land titling program, local government units in Ilocos Norte have since developed a more systematic land information system and improved efficiency in real property transactions.