City of San Fernando, Pampanga — After years of processing, 21 public schools under the Department of Education (DepEd) – Schools Division Office (SDO) of Pampanga have officially received their land titles through the collaborative efforts of the Provincial Government of Pampanga and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (DENR-PENRO).
The ceremonial turnover of titles was led by Governor Lilia “Nanay” Pineda and DENR-PENRO Officer-in-Charge Roger Incarnacion, with school principals and heads in attendance on Wednesday, March 18.
According to data from the Provincial Assessor’s Office, DepEd–SDO Pampanga manages a total of 535 school sitesacross the province. Of these, 59 sites remain without documentation, 237 are titled or tax-declared under local government units (LGUs), 60 are titled under DepEd, 123 are privately owned, and 56 are titled under various national government agencies (NGAs).
Governor Pineda stressed that the provincial government will continue taking proactive measures to address remaining gaps in land ownership.
She emphasized that strengthened coordination with LGUs and the enactment of relevant local ordinances will help expedite the processing and transfer of titles to DepEd.
“Dekada na kasing kani-kanino pa nakatitulo ang mga lupa. Kaya naisip ko na dapat mailipat na ang mga ito sa pangalan ng DepEd, mga National Government Agencies (NGA), o ng LGU. Kung may mga pribadong pag-aari, saka na lang natin sosolusyunan ang mga isyu roon,” the governor said.
DepEd expressed its appreciation to the Provincial Government of Pampanga, noting that securing land titles is a critical step in unlocking national funding for the construction of additional school buildings. The initiative is expected to help address the province’s classroom shortage and enhance learning conditions for students.
The Provincial Government reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the education sector through sustained programs that promote infrastructure development and secure property ownership for public schools. (PR-Pampanga PIO)