A group of lawmakers has filed a bill authorizing the government to seize land unlawfully acquired by foreign nationals, particularly those involved with illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).

House Bill No. 11043, otherwise known as the “Civil Forfeiture Act,” targets the increasing exploitation of legal loopholes by foreign nationals, including the use of falsified documents to illegally acquire land.

This bill aims to strengthen enforcement of the 1987 Constitution, which restricts private land ownership to Filipino citizens or corporations with at least 60% Filipino ownership.

“The continued violation of our Constitution on alien land ownership cannot be allowed to continue. Thousands of aliens have been flocking to the Philippines to establish POGOs, which have turned out to be closely linked to criminal activities,” the bill’s explanatory note read. 

HB 11043 empowers the Office of the Solicitor General, in coordination with the Department of Justice, to initiate civil forfeiture proceedings. 

Under the bill, any land transferred to foreign nationals through fraudulent means would be deemed null and void, with forfeited properties repurposed for public use, including allocations for schools, hospitals, and agricultural land for farmers.

Additionally, the bill proposes enhanced monitoring and enforcement through the involvement of the Land Registration Authority and local government units, aiming to curb illegal land acquisitions.

This bill is part of broader efforts to combat criminal activities linked to POGOs, following recent investigations that revealed how foreign nationals, particularly Chinese nationals, used fake Filipino citizenship documents to illegally acquire land and establish businesses.

“We must move forward with a clear message—such activities cannot be allowed to continue in the Philippines,” the lawmakers concluded in the bill’s explanatory note.

The bill was introduced by Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr., Deputy Speaker David Suarez, and House Quad Committee chairs Robert Ace Barbers, Dan Fernandez, Bienvenido Abante Jr., and Joseph Stephen Paduano.

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