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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday reiterated the urgency of enacting a land use policy for the Philippines, a few days after the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading the proposed National Land Use Act (NLUA) on May 22.
“Allow me to reiterate the urgency of enacting a [National] Land Use Policy for our country, which is a priority legislative agenda of this Administration,” Marcos said in his speech during the Pier 88 grand launching in Liloan, Cebu.
Marcos said that he will ensure that the proposed measure will be given “[the] urgent attention that it deserves” due to its fundamental importance to the country’s holistic national development.
Marcos emphasized that he has personal knowledge of the significant impact of the bill on the Filipino people as he had a chance to work on it when he chaired the Senate Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement Committee. The passage of the bill by the Senate then, however, was overtaken by events.
“This time, we will see to it that this measure shall be given [the] urgent attention that it deserves, cognizant of its fundamental importance to our holistic national development,” he Marcos said.
“Through a [national] physical framework plan, all mandates and policies on land use shall be integrated— from watersheds to farm lands from cultural heritage sites to ancestral domains, from protected disaster-prone areas,” he added.
Marcos noted that the local governments must ensure that their respective physical and land use plans will conform to and will be consistent with the national plan.
He added that the national and local governments “will tap the budding profession of environmental planners for its technical expertise in the crafting of accurate and well-aligned physical and land use plans.”
The House of Representatives approved on May 22, on third and final reading of House Bill No. 8162, or the proposed NLUA, which gives the government the tool to properly identify land use and allocation patterns in all parts of the Philippines.
It was earlier identified as a priority measure of Marcos under the Legislative-Executive Development Council (LEDAC).
The chief executive thanked the House of Representatives for approving the proposed measure.
Several bills on the proposed land use policy have also been filed in the Senate.
The President also highlighted the importance of holistic, systematic, and integrated planning in the Philippines as he lauded the coordinated efforts of the Liloan government and the whole province of Cebu in pursuing good urban planning and development practices.
He said that such cooperation between the local government units will further solidify its urban development foundation and consolidate its socio-economic strength, and will eventually be beneficial to the country.
“Let us imagine if these kinds of projects are replicated across the country, laterally and locally coordinated, and harmonized both on the provincial and national levels, then we could say that we are genuinely closer to our ambition of a prosperous, inclusive, and resilient society,” Marcos said. Presidential News Desk
