BAGUIO CITY – NEDA-CAR through the Regional Land Use Committee (RLUC) will conduct a regional consultation on HB 5240 or “The National Land Use and Management Act of the Philippines” on April 11, 2019 in Baguio.
The National Land Use Act (NaLUA) aims to provide a framework for the sound management and development of the country’s land and water resources. The Cordillera RLUC will discuss land use concerns and gather comments and suggestions regarding the NaLUA. NEDA-CAR is also inviting other concerned stakeholders to raise their comments and concerns on the draft bill.
Participants are expected to take into consideration the region’s unique topography IKSPs and the inadequacy of some national laws and policies related to land use such as Presidential Decree 705 or the Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines. PD 705 states that no lands with a slope above 18 percent shall be classified as alienable and disposable which renders little room for development in the Cordillera region with around 85 percent of its total land area classified as having slopes above 18 percent.
The National Land Use Committee (NLUC) will meet later in April to consolidate the inputs from all regional consultations in the country. Inputs from this meeting will be incorporated in the NaLUA which will be re-filed for deliberation in the 18th Congress.
Earlier, the Cordillera RLUC convened a workshop to craft and update the two primary land use framework plans of the region, the Regional Spatial Development Framework (RSDF) 2018-2048, and the Regional Physical Framework Plan 2004-2034 to be updated starting this year. By Marlo T. Lubguban NEDA-CAR