LAND USE ACT

The passage of National Land Use Act has been a part of Duterte’s annual State
of the Nation Address last 2018 up to this year’s SONA. The Land Use Act in which its
passage is still pending in the Congress for years would provide framework for the
allocation, use and management of the country’s land resources which is significant in
the economic development of our country.

The following statements about the passage of National Land Use Act are part of
Duterte’s speech from his 2018 and 2019 SONA.
SONA 2018:
“What happened to Boracay is just an indication of the long-overdue need to rationalize,
in a holistic and sustainable manner, the utilization, management, and development of
our lands. I therefore urge the Senate to urgently pass the National Land Use [Act] to put
in place a national land use policy that will address our competing land requirements for
food, housing, business, and environmental conservation. We need to do this now.”

SONA 2019:
“I further ask Congress to urgently pass the Na--- ito--- the National Land Use Act or
NALUA within this year. Paki lang po. So that we can proceed with the new.. Well, we
can meet the--- demands of the new investors coming in. Ang lupa natin ang problema
eh.”

Duterte’s plea in the urgent passage of the said act is understandable given the
fact that the distribution of the land according to use has been a problem for years. To
connect it with the economic development of the country, it would allow the demand of
the investors to come in which may affect our economy. This is because of the reason
that through this act, LGUs could create development plans that helps in dispersing
economic activities aside from urban areas.
Dispersing economic activities aside from urban areas would lead to the
development of rural areas which is significant and key in achieving a sustainable and
equitable economic development. Furthermore, our country is an agricultural country in
which 47% of the land is supposed to be for agricultural purposes. However, it can be
seen in today’s situation that the use of land has been a problem for it is not used in a
good purpose.

The passage of the act is significant because the unchecked use of the land makes
our country more susceptible to natural disasters. The Philippines is a tropical country
that has been historically prone to harsh weather conditions and calamities. Consider the
effects of Typhoon Yolanda last 2013 wherein the agriculture sector has been affected in
which rice and sugar plantations are destroyed. As a result, the GDP of our country has
been affected by P604 billion or 5% of the GDP. In addition, failure of the country to
replace the economic infrastructure limits the country’s capacity to achieve economic
growth to 5%.

The passage of this act could help our country to manage its resources, map out
the agricultural lands for food security, determine hazardous areas, and delineate
protected areas. Lastly, balancing the dangers out are some competencies in public
infrastructure, government and disaster preparedness, and ecosystem protection which
does not only affects the economic development but the continuous progress of our
country.