DEPDev pushes passage of National Land Use Act

The Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) is urging Congress to approve the National Land Use Act in order to address food security concerns. Secretary Arsenio Balisacan argued during the Development Budget Coordination Committee budget briefing at the Senate last Friday that the country has not yet passed a National Land Use Code to effectively manage its land resources. Balisacan stated that such a law would be a game-changer for the nation if passed, as it has been pending for the past 25 years.

The National Land Use Act is part of the government's priority bills for approval within the current Congress. It aims to establish a unified framework for sustainable land use, considering agriculture, housing, infrastructure, environmental protection, and economic development. While the House of Representatives approved the proposed National Land Use Act in May during its third and final reading, the Senate counterpart remains pending.

Balisacan highlighted that the high cost of food in the country, which is nearly double the prices in neighboring countries like Vietnam, Thailand, or Indonesia, is a serious problem affecting social fabric, education, health, and worker competitiveness. He pointed out that the lack of a National Land Use Plan has contributed to the issue, as productive farms have been converted into other land uses. According to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, food inflation remained at 5.3 percent in July 2023.

Balisacan cited the decline in agricultural lands from 9.67 million hectares in 2002 to 6.31 million hectares in 2022, with only 1.84 million of those irrigated. He emphasized that without investment in irrigation facilities, the remaining land cannot be made productive. Rice production has grown by only 0.9 percent annually over the last decade, below the population growth of approximately 1.2 percent per year.

To address these challenges, Balisacan urged Congress to approve the National Land Use Act, allowing the country to properly designate areas that should not be converted into other uses and promote sustainable land use for food security and economic development.