MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers at the House of Representatives filed a measure on Thursday against the illegal acquisition of real estate by foreigners.

"The prohibition against land ownership by aliens is undoubted and is primarily found in Article XII, Sections 7 and 8 of the 1987 Constitution...," according to the explanatory note of House Bill 11043.

Under the bill, real estate property transferred or conveyed to an unqualified foreign national, "natural or juridical, in violation of the Constitutional prohibition is null and void and vests no rights and creates no obligations."

The bill mandates the solicitor general to pursue civil forfeiture of the property.

The bill also mandates the distribution of forfeited agricultural land to qualified farmers.

If property is not agricultural land, the land shall, according to the bill, be used to establish schools, hospitals, "and other establishments for socialized services".

The bill allows the donation of forfeited non-agricultural land to the concerned local government unit "and shall be used for social services facilities."

Among the bill's authors were House quad committee chairmen Robert Ace Barbers, Dan Fernandez, Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr., and Joseph Stephen Paduano.

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