CREBA backs passage of National Land Use Act

MANILA, Philippines — A group of real estate industry players is supporting the passage of the proposed National Land Use Act (NLUA) in Congress which it deems as crucial in the country’s economic development.

“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,” Chamber of Real Estate and Builders’ Association (CREBA) national chairman Charlie Gorayeb said.

The bill was announced as a priority during President Duterte’s State of the Nation Address in July.

If the proposed measure is passed into law, it would put in place a policy to determine the specific uses of land and other physical resources in the country.

While CREBA backs the approval of the proposed measure, Gorayeb said the bill should adapt to other laws such as Republic Act (RA) 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992 recently amended by RA 10884 covering all lands in urban areas; Presidential Decree 399 which limits the use of a strip of 1,000 meters of land along any existing, proposed or ongoing public highway or road until the government has a competent study and comprehensive and integrated land use and development plan; and RA 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991 which empowers local government units to reclassify agricultural lands.

Gorayeb said these laws are already being used in making investment decisions.

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

Citing a study conducted by CREBA which was validated by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, Gorayeb said the real estate sector should not be blamed for the food shortage resulting from supposed indiscriminate conversion of lands.

The study showed that of the country’s total area of 29.5 million hectares, the built-up or developed areas amounted to only 741,353 hectares or 2.52 percent.

“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 government and private infrastructure nationwide. Instead, agri land area even expanded by 5.4 percent from 2003 to 2010,” Gorayeb said.

The proposed NLUA which is part of CREBA’s five-point agenda for housing, would be discussed at the group’s 27th national convention to be held on Oct. 17 to 20 at Thunderbird Resort in La Union.