PH’s agriculture...

percent of the total housing needs.

OSHDP said the project housing requirements cannot be met once the proposed land use act is passed.

Of the total housing requirements, the private sector production target is about 4,037,504 million units while the National Housing Authority aims to provide housing for about 1,502,336 informal settlers.

OSHDP further pointed out that there are no housing projects in reclamation areas in the pipelines save for the initial discussions with the National Housing Authority for possible use of Philippine Reclamation Authority’s partially completed reclamation in the BASECO area.

As such, OSHDP maintains that there is a need to revisit the intended policy being introduced in the NLUA of protecting prime agricultural lands in view of the growing housing needs and other competing interests.

“The preliminary considerations will reveal that only 2.52 percent of the total area of the country was mapped as built-up areas. Unless a socially acceptable definition and policy is adopted, the proposed measure must be held in abeyance,” the group said.

OSHDP has proposed that the proposed NLUA should enshrine the “The highest and best use of the land in order to ensure productivity and optimized distribution of wealth.” OSHDP stressed this is consistent with the constitutional mandate of creation and development of national wealth.

The property developers have pushed for this statement because the proposed bill once enacted into law will forever ban land conversion, regardless of type of agricultural land.

OSHDP has also proposed that agricultural land conversion be allowed when the following conditions warrant: When the agricultural land ceases to be economically feasible and that the highest and best use principle dictates that the same be converted to non-agricultural uses; and when the locality has become urbanized and the land will have a greater economic value for other purposes.

“OSHDP recognizes the need to protect prime agricultural lands for food security, we must also acknowledge the need to secure land for population growth to address the growing housing needs,” started the position paper.

According to OSHDP, the solution is not to make lands scarce but to adopt a more viable program to boost the agriculture sector and make agricultural lands productive. Thus, OSHDP said, it is imperative that sanctions be imposed on owners or rights holders of idle agricultural lands.