House panel approves proposed National Land Use Act 

A House panel approved the National Land Use Act, a bill designed to identify and determine the best use of land in the country.

The proposed legislation aims to provide communities with the necessary information to make informed decisions about land use, according to Nueva Ecija Representative Rosanna V. Vergara, who chaired the technical working group responsible for the bill's amendments.

The National Land Use Act will enable local governments and land users to prioritize land use policies and projects that align with their unique needs and aspirations. The bill seeks to establish the National Land Use Commission (NLUC) under the office of the President. The NLUC will be responsible for resolving land use conflicts between or among agencies, branches, or levels of government. It will replace the National Land Use Committee, which will be abolished.

The NLUC will draft the National Physical Framework Plan (NPFP), which will serve as a guide for planning and managing the country's land and other physical resources. The NPFP will contain broad spatial direction and policy guidelines on settlement development, production and protection land use, social services and utilities, transmission line corridors, and transportation and communication. It will have a 30-year time horizon and be updated every 10 years.

The bill covers all land and natural resources, whether public, private, government-owned, or owned by any person, whether natural or juridical. It imposes a 5% idle land tax on any person or entity that causes irrigated land to go idle or remain unproductive for more than a year. If the land remains unproductive for two years, it will revert to the State.

Local government units (LGUs) must create their own Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP), which must include maps to guide the future use of land and natural resources. LGUs are liable to sanction and penalty if they fail to implement their CLUPs. However, Mary Ann De Vera, chief for policy research and legal office of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines, argued that the measure should consider the individual situations of these LGUs, as they are not similarly situated in terms of finances, manpower, and resources.

The bill also protects agricultural land necessary for attaining food security from conversion, subject to review by the Department of Agriculture every six years. Conversion of land for use in basic services such as power and irrigation will be allowed on the recommendation of the Secretaries of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform. The House of Representatives aims to pass the bill on second reading when session resumes on May 8.