NEDA issues rules on use, mgm’t of land resources

The government has introduced a framework that would serve as the basis for future policies affecting the utilization and management of land resources in the country, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said.

In collaboration with the National Land Use Committee (NLUC), NEDA released recently the National Framework for Physical Planning (NFPP) to guide planners, decision makers, policy makers and implementors in the use, allocation, management and development of land resources.

"The NFPP hopes to provide a national land use policy agenda in order to achieve national development that is anchored on sustainable development and growth with social equity," said Marcelina Bacani, director of NEDA’s Regional Development Coordination Staff.

Bacani said that the formulation of the NFPP was triggered by the need to address various social, economic and political challenges, especially with the continuing development activities and reforms, such as modernization and decentralization efforts.

"The previous land use plans, those released in 1983 and 1992, did not clearly address the issues and concerns that have just begun to emerge in view of recent developments in globalization and industrialization," she said.

To properly address this concern, the NFPP considers sectoral plans, laws and other pieces of legislation and issuances that were adopted or enacted, making it more responsive in guiding decisions on the use, allocation, management, and development of land resources.

"The NFPP was therefore formulated to provide policy guidelines not only on agricultural modernization but also on the resolution of land use conflicts while focusing on the assignment of priorities according to the various competing uses," Bacani said.

The vision of national development through sustainable development and growth with social equity is supported by several development philosophies, such as the optimum productive use of land and water resources as well as industrial development through the modernization of all economic sectors.

It is also supported by the need for equitable regional development with minimum desirable level of welfare, including social empowerment where everyone has access to resources, development opportunities, benefits and services.

"Today, the NFPP is the main document that spells out land use and physical planning in the country," Bacani said.

The NLUC and NEDA initiated the formulation of the NFPP, through the active participation and involvement of various government officials and technical staff members as well as representatives of the private sector, non-government organizations, and academe.