July 4 – The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading House Bill 5240 or 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.
The bill 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 (LGUs) 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 (CLUPs)” 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.
The measure will institutionalize land use and physical planning that will address various concerns, among which are the following:
1. Maintenance and preservation of environmental integrity and stability;
2. Sustainable and just management and utilization of natural resources;
3. Disaster risk reduction and climate risk-based planning;
4. Protection of prime agricultural lands for food security;
5. Sustainable development and management of water resources;
6. Improved access to affordable housing;
7. 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.
“Protection Land Use” refers to the use of land primarily reserved for rehabilitation, conservation, and protection purposes and the promotion of the country’s ecological and life-support systems.
“Production Land Use” refers to the most efficient, sustainable, and equitable utilization, development and management of land for productive purposes .
“Settlements and Institutional Land Use” refers to the use of urban and rural lands for settlements development purposes and/or improvements on existing settlements involving the spatial distribution of population, identification of the roles and functions of key urban centers, determination of relationships among settlement areas, and the provision of basic services and facilities to such settlements.
“Infrastructure Land Use” means the use of land dedicated to the provision of basic services that foster economic and other forms of integration necessary for producing or obtaining the material requirements of Filipinos, in an efficient, responsive, safe and ecologically friendly environment.
The uses of land – Protection, Production, Settlements and Institutional, and Infrastructure – shall consider the following elements:
1. Protection land use category shall prevail over existing production land use
category;
2. Preservation, conservation, rehabilitation and protection to perpetuity of
permanent forestlands, critical watersheds, key biodiversity areas, environmentally critical and ecologically fragile areas and prime agricultural lands from any other land use, conversion, disposition, intrusion, utilization and development;
3. Protection of natural forests and natural resources ensures environmental stability, conserve biological diversity, improve ecosystem functions and provide long-term ecological and economic benefits;
4. Protection of forest and wetlands from infrastructure development to preserve the ecological services they provide which are essential to economic development;
5. Resolution of land use conflicts which are life-threatening or threatening to public safety, sustainability of key production resources or employment activities and the delivery of basic services which are harmful or destructive to protected areas, flora, fauna, and other protected natural resources;
6. Identification of geo-hazard prone areas and high-risk/danger zones and corresponding risk reduction measures to ensure the prioritization of life and safety;
7. Respect for existing customary rights and traditional land uses of Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs)/Indigenous Peoples (IPs);
8. Identification of settlement areas to check the demand for land and establish the location of employment-generating industries and basic services; and
9. The availability of natural resources including indigenous energy resources for energy security and self-sufficiency
House Bill No. 5240 is authored by Reps. Kaka Bag-ao (Lone District, Dinagat Islands), Romero Quimbo (2nd District, Marikina City), Sherwin Tugna (Party-list, CIBAC), Rozzano Rufino Biazon (Lone District, Muntinlupa City), Teddy Baguilat (Lone District, Ifugao), Maximo Rodriguez (2nd District, Cagayan de Oro City), Tom Villarin (Party-list, AKBAYAN), Jose Christopher Belmonte (6th District, Quezon City), Karlo Alexei Nograles (1st District, Davao City), VirgilioLacson (Party-list, MANILA TEACHERS), Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado (1st District, Bulacan), Manuel Sagarbarria (2nd District, Negros Oriental), Enrico Pineda (Party-list, 1-PACMAN), Juan Pablo Bondoc (4th District, Pampanga), Aurelio Gonzales (3rd District, Pampanga), Henedina Abad (Lone District, Batanes), Joey Salceda (2nd District, Albay), Federico Sandoval II (Lone District, Malabon City), CelsoLobregat (1st District, Zamboanga City), Mark Aeron Sambar (Party-list, PBA), Evelina Escuderro (1st District, Sorsogon), Mark Go (Lone District, Baguio City), Reynaldo Umali (2nd District, Oriental Mindoro), Manuel Zubiri (3rd District, Bukidnon), Isagani Amatong (3rd District, Zamboanga del Norte), Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (2nd District, Pampanga), Edgar Sarmiento (1st District, Samar), Divina Grace Yu (1st District, Zamboanga del Sur), Linabelle Ruth Villarica (4thDistrict, Bulacan), Dakila Carlo Cua (Lone District, Quirino), Carlito Marquez (Lone District, Aklan), Teodoro Montoro (Party-list, AASENSO), Jorge Almonte (1st District, Misamis Occidental), Ma. Lucille Nava (Lone District, Guimaras), Arlene Arcillas (1stDistrict, Laguna), Marlyn Primicias-Agabas (6th District, Pangasinan), Gabriel Bordado (3rd District, Camarines Sur), Xavier Jesus Romualdo (Lone District, Camiguin), Lawrence Fortun (1st District, Agusan del Norte), Jose Panganiban (Party-list, ANAC-IP), Amado Espino (5th District, Pangasinan), Cesar Sarmiento (Lone District, Catanduanes), Ramon Rocamora (Lone District, Siquijor), and Angelina Tan (4thDistrict, Quezon). / ABR | via HOR