Buying land without direct access to a public road is a common but often overlooked problem in the Philippines. This issue was brought up in the “Tanong ng Pilipino” segment of “CIA with BA,” where a viewer from Las Piñas asked:
“Pinagbentahan ako ng lupa na napapagitnaan ng ibang property nung nagbenta sa akin. Pwede po ba akong mag-demand ng right of way sa nagbenta ng lupa sa akin para naman may daan ako palabas sa public road?”
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano responded, saying: “In all cases kasi, pwede kang magkaroon ng right of way.”
He explained that if surrounding properties are owned by others, the buyer may still request access but must pay: “Kung ang property na binili mo ay pinaligiran ng lupa na iba ang may-ari, hindi ‘yung nagbenta sa ‘yo, then pwede kang humingi ng right of way pero magbabayad ka.”
However, if the seller owns the adjacent land, there’s no need to pay: “Pero kung ang nagbenta sa ‘yo, siya rin ‘yung may-ari nung mga lupa na [nakapaligid] sa lupa mo, hindi mo kailangan magbayad ng right of way.”
He added that the access point must cause the least disturbance: “Ang pipiliin na daan diyan, ‘yung daan na least na nakakaperwisyo don sa katabi mong lupa.”
Cayetano also advised clarifying access before buying: “Yes, pero ‘yun nga, mas maganda kung bago binili, nagkaroon ng [kalinawan] na kasi nga ‘yung delay at saka ‘yung usapang [kung] magkano, saan dadaan, medyo mabusisi ‘yan.”
The episode underscored the importance of checking property access before finalizing any land purchase.
“CIA with BA” airs Sundays at 11:00 p.m. on GMA7, with replays Saturdays at 10:30 p.m. on GTV.
