The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading the proposed “National Land Use and Management Act of the Philippines,” which seeks to institutionalize a National Land Use Policy that will govern the country’s land use and management.
House Bill 5240, which was co-authored by former president and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, aims to provide for a rational, holistic and just allocation, utilization, management, and development of the country’s land and water resources; hold owners and users of land responsible for developing and conserving their lands; strengthen the capacity of local government units to manage and maintain ecological balance within their territorial jurisdiction; and treat groups of islands, interconnecting waters and other natural features which are closely interrelated as forming an intrinsic geographical, economic and political entity.
The bill defines “land use” as the manner of allocation, utilization, management and development of land. It also defines “physical framework plan” as the national, regional or provincial indicative plans that outline the overall and macro-level physical development objectives, priorities, directions and strategies in its respective levels as prepared, reviewed, integrated and finalized by the national, regional and provincial land use councils/boards, respectively, based on the “Comprehensive Land Use Plans” of the LGUs and the national policy guidelines relating to land use and environmental management to prevent or mitigate the adverse effects of inappropriate resource utilization on food security, the people’s welfare, and their environment.
It refers to “comprehensive land use plan (CLUP)” as a document embodying a set of policies, accompanied by maps and similar illustrations that serve as a policy guide for determining the future use of lands and natural resources within the territorial jurisdiction of the LGUs.
Once enacted, the measure shall institutionalize land use and physical planning that will address various concerns, such as maintenance and preservation of environmental integrity and stability; sustainable and just management and utilization of natural resources; disaster risk reduction and climate risk-based planning; protection of prime agricultural lands for food security; sustainable development and management of water resources; improved access to affordable housing; and energy security or energy self-sufficiency.
In determining and defining the national physical framework plan, the bill seeks to categorize land use into four groups, namely, (a) Protection Land Use; (b) Production Land Use; (c) Settlements and Institutional Land Use; and (d) Infrastructure Land Use.