Senate OKs bill requiring SUCs to develop idle lands

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate has approved a bill requiring all state universities and colleges (SUCs) to develop idle lands within their jurisdictions.

Sen. Francis Escudero, chairman of the committee on education, arts and culture, sponsored the approval of House Bill 8370, which seeks to maximize the use of land resources within SUCs.

“It has been observed that some students, especially those coming from poor families, usually drop out of school (because) they can no longer afford to pay the costly board and lodging near the universities or colleges,” Escudero said.

“It is necessary for the school to ensure the safety and well-being of the students by providing them dormitories inside the SUC,” he added.

The measure mandates SUCs to prepare and implement a land use development and infrastructure plan (LUDIP), which includes providing a safe and decent living space for students, who usually come from remote parts of neighboring municipalities and cities where the SUCs are located.

Under the bill, faculty members and staff of the education institution will likewise be provided with housing projects to enable them to work effectively and efficiently, according to Escudero.

All SUCs will be required to submit a LUDIP to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) within two years after the approval of the bill. The plan will be updated periodically as the need arises.

All land use or infrastructure projects of the SUCs will be required to follow the LUDIP, which will be linked to the land use plan and practice of the local government units to ensure that they complement LGUs’ activities and projects.

The bill also provides that no infrastructure project of SUCs will be approved unless their LUDIP has been implemented and submitted to CHED.

SUCs, according to the bill, may seek the assistance and cooperation from other agencies such as the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB), the University of the Philippines School of Urban and Regional Planning (UP-SURP) and the Department of Public Works and Highways, among others.

The CHED, UP-SURP and the HLURB will design capacity-building programs for SUCs to enable them to develop and prepare suitable land use plans.  – Cecille Suerte Felipe