Dear PAO,

I would like to recover the land that was allegedly made as a collateral for a loan which was obtained by my parents (deceased) to Juan. Juan claimed that the land was sold to him, and he presented a notarized Deed of Absolute Sale that was signed by my parents. I went to the notary public to verify the said document, and it was confirmed that the lawyer notarized the document. I asked the lawyer if he determined the validity of the document before he notarized it, but he claimed that it is no longer part of his duty as a notary public. Am I correct in my belief that the notary public should have examined the document if it is valid before notarizing it?