Senate committee signs Gullas land conversion bill

CEBU, Philippines - Some residential areas in Naga City, presently classified as timberland by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), will soon be reclassified as alienable and disposable. 

This after the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, headed by Sen. Francis Escudero, signed House Bill 6125, which is authored by Cebu first district Rep. Eduardo Gullas, that seeks to convert 71 percent of Naga’s timberland into agricultural, residential, commercial and industrial land.

Once the law is approved and signed by the President, existing land occupants who are only armed with tax declarations will already be given a chance for an absolute ownership and land titles.

“So, more investors can come in to Naga City,” Gullas said. 

The DENR cited that those areas considered as timberland requires a Congressional Act to amend the existing classification.

Naga Mayor Valdemar Chiong said he was happy about the development saying he expects more investors to come to his city. 

Chiong said this will definitely help the city government increase its real property tax collection and provide land owners full power to develop and can be used as loan collaterals and for other legal purposes it may serve.

The bill is based on Presidential Decree 1998, which states that lands located in the Provinces of Cebu and Benguet, and bearing a slope of 18 percent or over can be converted into alienable and disposable lands.

The law was first filed by brother former congressman Jose “Dodong” Gullas but Rep. Eduardo Gullas filed it again in 2004.

The proposal was blocked in the Senate.

Rep. Eduardo Gullas said swamplands cannot be reclassified because these belong to the national government.

He said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources agreed with the bill’s provisions, provided landslide-prone areas are excluded from the conversion.  (FREEMAN)