b) Individual and indigenous corporate claimants of ancestral lands which are not within
ancestral domains, may have their claims officially established by filing applications for the
identification and delineation of their claims with the Ancestral Domains Office. An
individual or recognized head of a family or clan may file such application in his behalf or in
behalf of his family or clan, respectively;
c) Proofs of such claims shall accompany the application form which shall include the
testimony under oath of elders of the community and other documents directly or indirectly
attesting to the possession or occupation of the areas since time immemorial by the individual
or corporate claimants in the concept of owners which shall be any of the authentic
documents enumerated under Sec. 52 (d) of this Act, including tax declarations and proofs of
payment of taxes;
d) The Ancestral Domains Office may require from each ancestral claimant the submission of
such other documents, Sworn Statements and the like, which in its opinion, may shed light on
the veracity of the contents of the application/claim;
e) Upon receipt of the applications for delineation and recognition of ancestral land claims,
the Ancestral Domains Office shall cause the publication of the application and a copy of
each document submitted including a translation in the native language of the ICCs/IPs
concerned in a prominent place therein for at least fifteen (15) days. A copy of the document
shall also be posted at the local, provincial, and regional offices of the NCIP and shall be
published in a newspaper of general circulation once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks to
allow other claimants to file opposition thereto within fifteen (15) days from the date of such
publication: Provided, That in areas where no such newspaper exists, broadcasting in a radio
station will be a valid substitute: Provided, further, That mere posting shall be deemed
sufficient if both newspapers and radio station are not available;
f) Fifteen (15) days after such publication, the Ancestral Domains Office shall investigate and
inspect each application, and if found to be meritorious, shall cause a parcellary survey of the
area being claimed. The Ancestral Domains Office shall reject any claim that is deemed
patently false or fraudulent after inspection and verification. In case of rejection, the
Ancestral Domains Office shall give the applicant due notice, copy furnished all concerned,
containing the grounds for denial. The denial shall be appealable to the NCIP. In case of
conflicting claims among individual or indigenous corporate claimants, the Ancestral
Domains Office shall cause the contending parties to meet and assist them in coming up with
a preliminary resolution of the conflict, without prejudice to its full adjudication according to
Sec. 62 of this Act. In all proceedings for the identification or delineation of the ancestral
domains as herein provided, the Director of Lands shall represent the interest of the Republic
of the Philippines; and
g) The Ancestral Domains Office shall prepare and submit a report on each and every
application surveyed and delineated to the NCIP, which shall, in turn, evaluate the report
submitted. If the NCIP finds such claim meritorious, it shall issue a certificate of ancestral
land, declaring and certifying the claim of each individual or corporate (family or clan)
claimant over ancestral lands.
18