Legazpi city: After 20 long years, at least 70 residents of this city are now holders of land titles following the execution of a deed of donation and the awarding of titles for the Taysan resettlement site.

According to Philippines News Agency, the beneficiaries are residents who have lived in the area for about 20 years and long held certificates of award from the City Government of Legazpi but had yet to receive their actual land titles. Lawyer Raphaela Albor, chief of Legazpi City's Resettlement, Housing, and Community Development Office, highlighted the significance of this milestone, noting that it has been 22 years since these families were affected by the devastation of Typhoon Reming and subsequent volcanic eruptions. The awarding of titles provides them the right to freely occupy the lots that are now officially theirs.

Albor emphasized that the activity is part of the celebration of the country's 128th Independence Day, symbolizing the beneficiaries' newfound sense of freedom, security, and assurance against displacement. While the residents now possess their titles, they are required to register them with the Register of Deeds to have the titles officially placed in their names. So far, 100 titles have been distributed out of 1,000 lots in the resettlement site, with about 700 lots already occupied. The distribution of the remaining vacant lots will proceed once the occupied ones are fully awarded.

These resettled families originally hailed from areas severely impacted by Typhoon Reming, including Padang, Rawis, Arimbay, and Bigaa. Janet Llaguno, president of Philradz Village at the Taysan Resettlement Site, expressed gratitude to the City Government of Legazpi for the provision of land titles, stating the land is now definitively theirs after almost two decades of residence.

Mayor Hisham Ismail, in his message to the beneficiaries, reminded them of their responsibility to care for their land, community, and the city as a whole.