PIDS: Pass land use law
Evidences of environmental degradation demonstrate the negative externalities that arise from the production and consumption of forest products and watershed services
Congress must act quickly on passing a National Land Use Act, or NaLUA, to end critical problems in managing the country’s land resources resulting to conflicting rules primarily on planning and governance.
This lack of a unified framework also leads to environmental degradation and inefficient resource allocation. The NaLUA would be a crucial solution to these issues, promising sustainable development, and harmonious land management.
The study, titled “The Need for a National Land Use Act in the Philippines” by PIDS Senior Research Fellow Adoracion Navarro sheds light on the need for a transdisciplinary approach and updated data to bolster the case for the enactment of NaLUA after nearly three decades of failure.
Land use misgovernance has been a persisting issue and Navarro urged the critical need for renewed efforts.
“To strengthen the push to enact a NaLUA, advocates need to employ a transdisciplinary approach and deepen through updated data and evidences the appreciation by policymakers and stakeholders of the arguments for having this legislation,” Navarro said.
By using this approach, it will be easier to comprehend the complex issues associated with land and act as a spark for urgently needed changes to land use planning and governance.
At its core, NaLUA seeks to govern the management and execution of a comprehensive land use system and physical planning mechanism.
It aims to establish a national level mechanism to harmonize land use policies and address competing demands systematically.
Navarro expounded that the proposed law delineates clear land use parameters, outlines longterm planning strategies, and mandates reviews of sustainable land use at all levels of government.
By providing a structured approach to land use governance, NaLUA aims to mitigate conflicts and promote sustainable development.
Cause of disputes
This often leads to protracted disputes and the need for presidential intervention, as seen in past conflicts over land use conversion.
The implications of this unregulated landscape extend far beyond mere disputes. “Evidences of environmental degradation demonstrate the negative externalities that arise from the production and consumption of forest products and watershed services,” Navarro said.
Additionally, land use conflicts within ancestral domains pose challenges to peace, development, and cultural preservation. Disputes arising from overlapping land claims further underscore the complexities inherent in land governance, highlighting the need for proactivity.
Navarro recommended that there should be an augmentation on the technical proficiency of local government units, or LGUs, to improve their capacity to create, amend and carry out mechanisms for the rational and sustainable governance of land use.
Navarro acknowledged that, should NaLUA be ratified, the efficient implementation of land use planning is contingent upon LGUs possessing a high level of skill in this area. It is crucial to emphasize that NaLUA can empower LGUs and rationalize land use policies, rather than diminish their powers.
Furthermore, Navarro stressed that there should be a unified front to bolster the policy and enactment to actively involve all relevant parties in a cooperative endeavor.
“Form a stronger advocacy by with the participation of all stakeholders, including local governments, the business sector, and civil society,” she suggested.
“Should the NaLUA be enacted, the potential short- to medium-term impacts are the orderly settlement of the years-old land use conflicts and the prevention or minimization of future conflicts,” Navarro emphasized.
She stressed that NaLUA can support greater and sustainable value addition in the economy through land use optimization.