CREBA backs bill to put national devt in order

The country’s largest organization of key real estate industry players supports the passage of the proposed national land use act (NLUA) filed in Congress to put the country’s economic and physical development in order.

The bill being supported by the Chamber of Real Estate and Builders’ Associations Inc. (CREBA) will set four major categories of land uses for planning purposes – protection, production, settlements, and infrastructure.

“A national land use plan has long been needed by this country. If done correctly, it shall be a key policy reference for all local comprehensive land use and development plans in all sectors, including commercial, industrial, housing, and real estate,” CREBA national president Charlie Gorayeb said.

The bill is the third in CREBA’s five-point agenda for housing to be discussed at its 25th national convention set from Oct. 12 to 15 in Baguio City.

Gorayeb said the NLUA bill should be made to adapt to current laws that had already been used by the business community for important investment decisions. Gorayeb was referring to such laws as the RA 7279, or the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992 (as recently amended by RA 10884) covering all lands in urban and urbanizable areas; PD 399 limiting the use of strip lands; and RA 7160, or the Local Government Code of 1991, empowering local government units (LGUs) to reclassify agricultural lands.

CREBA national chairman Noel Toti M.Cariño said “the NLUA bill must also resolve the uncertainty as to where and what exactly is the extent of the ‘ protected lands’ that are banned from conversion.”

Citing an in-depth study conducted by CREBA itself, Gorayeb debunked misconception that the real estate sector is the “culprit” for food shortage resulting from supposed “indiscriminate” conversion of lands.

The results of the study showed the agri lands account for some 12.5 million hectares or 42.72 percent of the country’s total hectarage of 29.5 million.

Yet, the built-up or developed areas amounted to only 741,353 hectares or 2.52 percent of the total.

“The study indicates that lands built up or developed for non-agricultural uses – from time immemorial up to Year 2010 – have hardly made a dent in the country’s total agricultural hectarage despite all the government and private infrastructure nationwide. “Instead, agricultural land area even expanded by 5.4 percent from 2003 to 2010,” Gorayeb said.