Section 84Sec./Art. 84

Upon recommendation of the Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce, the President, may by proclamation, designate any tract or tracts of the public domain for the exclusive use of the non-Christian Filipinos, including in the reservation, in so far as practicable, the lands used or possessed by them, and granting to each member not already the owner, by title or gratuitous patent, of four or more hectares of land, the use and benefit only of a tract of land not to exceed four hectares for each male member over eighteen years of age or the head of a family.

As soon as the Secretary of the Interior shall certify that the majority of the non-Christian inhabitants of any given reservation have advanced sufficiently in civilization, then the President may order that the lands of the public domain within such reservation be granted under the general provisions of this Act to the said inhabitants, and the subdivision and distribution of said lands as above provided shall be taken into consideration in the final disposition of the same.

But any non-Christian inhabitant may at any time apply for the general benefits of this Act provided the Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce is satisfied that such inhabitant is qualified to take advantage of the provisions of the same: Provided, That all grants, deeds, patents and other instruments of conveyance of land or purporting to convey or transfer rights of property, privileges, or easements appertaining to or growing out of lands, granted by sultans, datus, or other chiefs of the so-called non-Christian tribes, without the authority of the Spanish Government while the Philippines were under the sovereignty of Spain, or without the consent of the United States Government or of the Philippine Government since the sovereignty over the Archipelago was transferred from Spain to the United States, and all deeds and other documents executed or issued or based upon the deeds, patents, and documents mentioned, are hereby declared to be illegal, void, and of no effect.