DAR conducts workshop for property developers

In an effort to unclog the delayed releases of developer’s applications for Land Conversion and Exemption pending at the Department of Agrarian Reform, and at the same time, institute a serious consultation process with the country’s leading subdivision and housing developers, the DAR recently mounted a successful National Workshop on DAR Conversion and Exemption Guidelines and Procedures last April 25, 2003 at Shangri-La Makati.

In cooperation with the nation’s leading developers group – the Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA) – this joint SHDA-DAR activity was attended by some 92 developers and practitioners in the housing industry.

"Since Secretary, Pagdanganan assumed office last January, we have been meeting regularly with SHDA to discuss the problems of the developers and the solutions that we may both undertake to facilitate the early release of pending DAR conversion and exemption," said SHDA chairman Teofisto L. Guingona III. "The first of a series of workshops we conducted recently shows DAR willingness to work with developers towards and view us as partners for national socio-economic development, he added.

SHDA national president Jesus B. Atencio said "this workshop is important to developers since one of the problems we discovered is that, in some cases, the procedures used and documents submitted were not in accordance with actual policies. This workshop clears the air and bring both developers and DAR towards one single documentation and process flow."

Atencio said that among the areas of reforms and improvements that were discussed in the workshop were issuance of DAR Special Order No. 222, Series of 2003, merging CLUPPI-1 and CLUPPI-2 and creating one Center for Land Use Policy, Planning and Implementing to fast track applications for land use conversion and exemption; providing 70-day time-period for processing applications for conversion and exemption to residential purposes; jurisdiction on applications for conversion and exemption involvilng areas five hectares and below are delegated to the Regional Offices; imposition of administrative sanctions on inaction of officials of DAR; and reorganization of counterpart offices in the field and continuous training/staff development of DAR personel.