TANAUAN -- They are at it again. Some plotters ostensibly with Malacanang connections want to take over the cash-rich Land Registration Authority and place it under the Office of the President.

Will Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez give up the LRA without a fight despite its being the biggest money-maker of his department? It has an annual income of P3.1 billion earned by its lean manpower of 2,400 spread among its registers of deed nationwide.

It is ironic that the LRA happily marked its 105th founding anniversary just last Friday (Feb. 1) looking forward to again overshoot its revenue target and gift its Secretary Gonzalez another banner year.

The plotters tried grabbing LRA last year, but the game plan was cut short by the adjournment of the 13th Congress.

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ADVANCED STAGE: There are nine bills in Congress seeking LRA's abolition. But the overall idea is to merge it with other DENR agencies, call the new structure another name (like Land Administration Authority) and place it under the Office of the President.

Over at the DENR, meanwhile, there is a factotum claiming land registration expertise who is already set to take over the expanded LRA.

To show how advanced has been the planning, an Executive Order was already signed last December abolishing the LRA and resurrecting it as a restructured agency, but the EO was recalled.

It seems that somebody pointed out that the EO's legality may be questioned. Since LRA was created by Congress, may a mere EO abolish it?

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LEAST GUILTY: First known as Land Registration Commission, the agency was later transformed into the National Land Titles and Deeds Registration Administration, and finally renamed Land Registration Authority in 1989 under the justice department.

Its yearend report for 2007showed that its registers of deeds nationwide registered 1,850,407 deeds and issued 438,751 titles, while the LRA central office issued 463 decrees, resolved 168 consultas, approved 4,672 subdivision/consolidation plans and reconstituted 1,915 titles.

One argument being used by the abolitionists is that land-titling in the country has been attended by irregularities.

They gloss over the fact that if there are anomalies in the long and complicated process of issuing land titles, least guilty is the LRA. It writes titles only after a patent is issued by the DENR or a decree by the courts.

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PAWNSHOPS: The Central Bank may want to revisit and update its rules and regulations governing pawnshops. A growing number of pawnshop operators are pointing out that the outmoded rules no longer cover actual situations in the market.

For instance, while the traditional items like jewelry maintain their values or even appreciate with time, some items now being pawned, such as cellphones, lose their value fast as newer models are introduced.

Pawnshop operators have discovered that it does not pay to give the same terms as those for jewelry to cellphones and other items that devalue fast. So they resort to giving shorter terms and lower appraisal values.

But some operators who have resorted to this variation have run afoul the rules of the Central Bank.

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BIG TURNOVER: One would be surprised to know that the number of cellphones, legally owned or stolen, being pawned has been on the rise.

One operator of a string of pawnshops has reported that their monthly turnover on cell phones alone was as much as P300 million.

Asked what percentage of the phones pawned are claimed back, he said half of them. What do they do with the other phones that are abandoned? They sell them.

To minimize fencing, pawnshops take extra care to get the true identity of the owner, and the serial number of the phones. The documentation makes it easier for any third party claimants.

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LARRY CRUZ: We join the family, as well as his countless friends and admirers, mourning and honoring Larry Cruz, who died Monday (Philippine time) in Washington, DC, where he underwent medical treatment.

A man about town, Larry made a mark as a tourism industry leader, a restaurateur, and a publishing and journalism advocate.

As footnote, I take pride in saying he was a member of the Capampangan in Media Inc. (CAMI), which gathers around 60 outstanding members of print, broadcast and related media.

Larry was the longest serving (four terms) president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines. He was also president, Asean Tourism Association; president, Tourism Council of the Philippines; founding chairman and president, Hotel and Tourism Institute of the Philippines and Hotel Intramuros.

He was founder of the LJC Consultancy Management Inc. consisting of 20 independent outlets, including Cafe Adriatico (28 years), Bistro Remedos (23 years), In the Mood Dance Bar and Restaurant (20 years), Cafe Havana Malate (10 years), Makati (5 years), Cebu and Gateway Mall, Araneta Center (3 years), Bollywood (3 years), ReUnion Square, Mojito Bay, Tandoor King, and the latest Abe and Fely J.

He introduced upscale Filipino tastes in cuisine and style abroad by opening Filipino restaurants in Daly City, California (Tito Rey of the Islands with Rey Bautista and Cafe Manila 1984-89), Manila in Georgetown, Washington, DC (1985-89), and Cafe Adriatico Hong Kong (1986-90).

He co-published with Bookmark Inc. the award-winning coffee table book “Malate: A Matter of Taste” (National Book Award: Best in Anthology 2001). He was founder and publisher of trend-setting Metro magazine (1990-1995) celebrating the city life and Filipino art and fashion.

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