Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ______ 
INTRODUCED BY REP. HARRIS CHRISTOPHER M. ONGCHUAN 
       EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The National Land Use and Management Act has long been filed and subject 
to deliberation. First filed in the 9th Congress, the deliberation for this project has 
lasted for almost three decades. 
Section 1 of Article XIII of the Constitution states that the Congress shall give 
highest priority to the enactment of measures that protect and enhance the right of all 
the people to human dignity, reduce social, economic, and political inequalities, and 
remove cultural inequities by equitably diffusing wealth and political power for the 
common good. To this end, the State shall regulate the acquisition, ownership, use, 
and disposition of property and its increments. 
This bill proposes the establishment of a National Land Use Plan that will serve 
as a framework for the proper utilization and management of land resources. The 
establishment of the National Land Use Council will also allow for people’s 
participation in defining the framework and principles of land allocation and 
utilization.  
This bill was filed by Rep. Belmonte in the 18th Congress. Without the passage 
of the bill in the 18th Congress, this bill is being refiled.  
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
HARRIS CHRISTOPHER M. ONGCHUAN 
August 30, 2022
8:02 am
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 Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by Representative 
HARRIS CHRISTOPHER M. ONGCHUAN 
AN ACT  
INSTITUTING A NATIONAL LAND USE AND MANAGEMENT POLICY, 
PROVIDING THE IMPLEMENTING MECHANISMS, AND APPROPRIATING 
FUNDS THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known and cited as the “National Land 
Use and Management Act of the Philippines”. 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policies and Principles. — It is the policy of the State to: 
(a)
Provide for a rational, holistic and just allocation, utilization, management, and
development of the country’s land and water resources so that their use is consistent
with the principles of equity, social justice, environmental integrity and sustainable
development for the common good;
(b)
Hold owners and users of land responsible for developing and conserving their
lands thereby making these productive and supportive of sustainable development
and environmental stability in accordance with the principle that the use of land bears
a social function and that all economic agents shall contribute to the common good;
(c) Treat groups of islands, including parts of islands, interconnecting waters and
other natural features which are so closely interrelated, as forming an intrinsic
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geographical, economic and political entity, or which historically have been regarded 
as such entity; 
(d) Strengthen the capacity of the local government units (LGUs) to manage and 
maintain ecological balance within their territorial jurisdiction, in partnership with 
the national government, in accordance with the Philippine Constitution and 
Republic Act No. 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991. Towards this end, the 
State shall institutionalize land use and physical planning as a mechanism for 
identifying, determining, and evaluating appropriate land use and allocation patterns 
that promote and ensure: 
(1) Maintenance and preservation of environmental integrity and stability; 
(2) Sustainable and just management and utilization of natural resources; 
(3) Disaster risk reduction and climate risk-based planning; 
(4) Protection of prime agricultural lands for food security, with emphasis on 
self-sufficiency through efficient and sustainable use of land resources consistent with 
the principles of sound agricultural development, natural resources development, 
and agrarian reform;  
(5) Protection and conservation of the country’s natural heritage, permanent 
forest lands, natural forests, critical watersheds and key biodiversity areas to ensure 
adequate forest cover to maintain ecological processes in the country; 
(6) Sustainable development and management of water resources; 
(7) Settlements, transportation and other infrastructure development in 
support of inclusive growth and rural, urban and regional development; 
(8) Improved access to affordable housing by increasing the supply thereof 
through direct allocation, better access to unutilized lands, and increased production 
of multiple use and higher density projects, where appropriate; 
(9) Respect for and protection of the traditional resource right of the Indigenous 
Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs) to their ancestral domains; 
compliance with free and prior informed consent of ICCs/IPs; and recognition of 
customary laws and traditional resource use and management, knowledge, and 
practices in ancestral domains;  
(10) Equitable access to land through State intervention that guarantees its 
affordability to the basic disadvantaged sectors defined under Republic Act No. 8425 
or the Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act; 
(11) Energy security or energy self-sufficiency; 


(12) Preservation and conservation of parks and protected areas to keep the 
scenery, the natural and historic objects, and the biodiversity therein in their natural 
state and prevent them from being damaged for purposes of public recreational use 
and enjoyment; and 
(13) Meaningful participation of the basic sectors. 
SECTION 3. Scope. — This Act shall apply to all lands and all resources therein, 
whether public, private, government-owned, and/or in the possession of any person, 
whether natural or juridical, and shall guide the rational, holistic and just allocation, 
utilization, development and management of the country’s land and water resources 
including such activities that bear impact on said resources. 
SECTION 4. Definition of Terms. — As used in this Act: 
(a) Agricultural land refers to the subclass of classified agricultural lands devoted to 
or suitable for the cultivation of the soil, planting of crops, growing of trees, raising 
of livestock, poultry, fish or aquaculture production, including the harvesting of such 
farm products, and other farm activities and practices performed in conjunction with 
such farming operations, by persons whether natural or juridical, and not classified 
as residential land, commercial land or industrial land; 
(b) Agricultural land use conversion refers to the undertaking of any development 
activity which modifies or alters the physical characteristics of agricultural lands to 
render them suitable for nonagricultural purposes under an approved order of 
conversion issued by the appropriate government agency; 
(c) Alienable and disposable lands of the public domain refers to lands of the public domain 
which have been delineated, classified, and certified as such and available for 
disposition under Commonwealth Act No. 141, otherwise known as the Public Land 
Act, as amended; 
(d) Ancestral domains refer to all areas generally belonging to ICCs/IPs as defined in 
Republic Act No. 8371, otherwise known as the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act 
(IPRA) of 1997; 
(e) Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan (ADSDPP) refers to a 
plan formulated and pursued in accordance with the rights of ICCs/IPs to manage 
and develop the land as well as natural and human resources within their ancestral 
domains based on their indigenous knowledge systems and practices on the principle 
of self-determination; 


(f) Classified agricultural land refers to one of the four (4) classifications of land under
the Constitution not classified by law as mineral land, forest land or national park
and the only land classification subject to alienation;
(g) Coastal area/Zone refers to a band of dryland and the adjacent ocean space (water
and submerged land) in which terrestrial processes and uses directly affect oceanic
processes and uses, and vice versa. Its geographic extent may include areas within a
landward limit of one (1) kilometer from the shoreline at high tide to include
mangrove swamps, brackish water ponds, nipa swamps, estuarine rivers, sandy
beaches and other areas within a seaward limit of two hundred (200) meters isobath
to include coral reefs, algal flats, seagrass beds, and other soft-bottom areas;
(h) Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) refers to a document embodying a set of
policies, accompanied by maps and similar illustrations that serve as a policy guide
for determining the future use of lands and natural resources within the territonal
jurisdiction of the LGUs. It represents the community-desired pattern of population
distribution and proposes future allocation of land and resources to various
activities. It includes the processes and criteria employed in such determination of
allocation of land and resources. It is a plan for the long-term management of the
local territory covering a period of a minimum of ten (10) years, reviewable not
earlier than every five (5) years based on the four (4) categories of land use planning
provided in Section 6 of this Act;
(i) Comprehensive land use planning refers to the act of defining the allocation,
utilization, development, and management of all lands within a given territory or
jurisdiction according to the inherent characteristics of the land itself and supportive
of sustainable, economic, demographic, sociocultural and environmental objectives
as an aid to decision-making and legislation;
(j) Critical watershed refers to watersheds or forest lands that have been identified and
evaluated to provide critical and vital natural, ecological, environmental and
physical beneficial services such as water, biodiversity, energy, irrigation, social and
cultural, among others, to a specific area or community and whose biophysical
condition demands immediate rehabilitation, protection and management to
prevent its further denudation, deterioration and exploitation;
(k) Cultural heritage refers to the totality of cultural properties, whether natural or
human-made, preserved and developed through time, and passed on for posterity;
(l) Customary laws refer to a body of written and/or unwritten rules, usages, customs
and practices traditionally and continually recognized, accepted, and observed by
respective ICCs/IPs consistent with the IPRA;


(m) Danger zones refer to areas with high level of threat to the lives and well-being of
people that cannot be addressed through scientific, physical and engineering
methods, and are therefore not suitable for settlement and permanent structures.
Areas can only be declared as danger zones after proper technical studies and public
consultations with affected families are conducted;
(n) Development plan refers to a document that defines the activities and measures
that the national government or LGUs intend to implement over a specified period
of time in order to achieve the defined set of development goals identified in the
national or local physical framework plans. It integrates socioeconomic, financial,
fiscal, legal and legislative, institutional and sectoral plans of the national
government or any of its instrumentalities or a particular LGU, consistent with the
objectives identified in spatial plans such as land use plans or physical framework
plans. It may include an analysis of problems and resources, definition of goals and
objectives, 
policy 
guidelines, 
project 
and 
target 
achievements, 
and 
an
implementation mechanism which defines the roles and contributions expected from
the government and the private sector;
(o) Disaster-prone areas or Geo-hazard areas refer to areas frequented by and/or
vulnerable to experience weather, climatic, hydrologic, geologic, and other natural
disturbances or calamities;
(p) Disaster risk reduction refers to the concept and practice of reducing disaster risks
through systematic efforts to analyze and manage the causal factors of disasters,
including reduced exposure to hazards, lessened vulnerability of people and
property, wise management of land and the environment, and improved
preparedness for adverse events;
(q) Ecologically fragile lands refer to lands within critical watersheds, brackish and
freshwater wetlands, pasturelands, inland rivers and waterways, coastal and
settlement areas, and croplands which require rehabilitation, protection and whose
continued unsustainable use would result in physical risks and threats to life and
property, public health and safety, as well as adversely affect the productivity of
lowland agricultural areas and stability of the upland system;
(r) Ecotourism refers to a form of sustainable tourism within a natural and/or cultural
heritage area where community participation, protection and management of
natural resources, culture and indigenous knowledge and practices, environmental
education and ethics, as well as economic benefits are fostered and pursued for the
enrichment of the host community and satisfaction of visitors;


(s) Energy resources refer to surface or subsurface substances that serve as energy 
sources. These are traditionally mineral fuel deposits such as coal, petroleum, natural 
gas or renewable resources from geothermal, hydro reservoirs, or nonconventional 
sources including ocean waves, solar, wind, biomass, and other similar resources 
which serve the same purpose; 
(t) Energy resource lands refer to lands where naturally occurring or indigenous 
energy resources exist in sufficient quantity and/or quality as to be economically 
viable for exploration, development, production, utilization, and distribution 
purposes; 
(u) Environmentally critical areas refer to areas declared by law as: (1) areas for natural 
parks, watershed reserves, wildlife preserves, and sanctuaries; (2) areas set aside for 
aesthetic and visual value; (3) areas that constitute the habitat for any endangered or 
threatened species of indigenous Philippine wildlife both flora and fauna; (4) areas 
of unique historic, archaeological, or scientific interests; (5) areas that are 
traditionally occupied by ICCs/IPs; (6) areas with critical slopes; (7) areas frequented 
and/or hard _ hit by natural calamities such as, but not limited to, geologic hazards, 
floods, typhoons and volcanic activities; (8) recharge areas of aquifers; (9) mangrove 
areas; (10) coral reefs; (11) mossy and virgin forests; (12) rivers and riverbanks; (13) 
swamp forests and marshlands; (14) foreshore lands; (15) protected areas pursuant 
to Republic Act No. 7586 or the NIPAS Act of 1992; and (16) areas set aside as 
aesthetic potential tourist spots. This term shall also include other terrestrial, aquatic 
and marine areas that need special protection and conservation measures because 
they are ecologically fragile or they are needed for food security and food self-
sufficiency as determined by concerned agencies and LGUs in consultation with the 
concerned stakeholders; 
(v) Exhausted mineral resources refer to a situation where the mineral resources in 
specific sites are no longer in sufficient quantity or quality to justify additional 
expenditure for extraction or utilization; 
(w) Flood plain refers to the portion of a river valley adjacent to a river channel which 
is covered with water when the river overflows its banks at flood stages, and which 
usually consists of silt deposited by the stream; 
(x) Flood-prone areas refer to low-lying areas usually adjacent to large or active water 
bodies and which therefore experience regular or seasonal inundation as a result of 
changes in the mean water level of these bodies or because of land reclamation and 
other artificial interference with the natural processes; 


(y) Food security refers to the policy objective of meeting the requirements for food 
availability, accessibility, and affordability of the present and future generations of 
Filipinos in a sustainable manner, through local production or importation in cases 
of shortage based on a micro level situation, or both, and taking into account the 
country’s existing and potential resource endowments and related production 
advantages, and consistent with the overall national development objectives and 
policies; 
(z) Food self-sufficiency refers to the policy objective of meeting the food requirements 
through intensive local food production in a sustainable manner based on the 
country’s existing and potential resources and related production advantages; 
(aa) Foreshore land refers to a string of land margining a body of water, the part of a 
seashore between the low-water line usually at the seaward margin of a low tide 
terrace and the upper limit of wave wash at high tide often marked by a beach scarp 
or berm; 
(bb) Forest refers to an ecosystem or an assemblage of ecosystems dominated by trees 
and other woody vegetation; a community of plants and animals interacting with 
one another and its physical environment; 
(cc) Forest lands refer to one of the four (4) classifications of land under the 
Constitution under the public domain classified and/or determined as suitable for 
forest purposes not classified as mineral land, national park and classified 
agricultural land. These include all permanent forest, forest reserves, forest 
reservations, and all the remaining unclassified lands of the public domain;( 
dd)Forest Land Use Plan (FLUP) refers to the allocation of forest lands into their 
appropriate uses consistent with existing biophysical conditions such as topography, 
soil type, land use, climate, water sources and socioeconomic, cultural and political 
realities. Forest land use planning should be able to delineate protection and 
production forests; 
(ee) Forest land subclassification refers to the process of determining the most 
appropriate and sustainable use of forest lands primarily as protection forest and 
production forest. They may be further subclassified as grazing/pasture land, 
recreational areas and other uses taking into account ecological, social and economic 
considerations; 
(ff) Free, Prior and Informed Consent (F PIC) refers to the consensus of all members of 
the ICCs/IPs to be determined 1n accordance with their respective customary laws 
and practices, free from any external manipulation, interference and coercion, and 


obtained after fully disclosing the intent and scope of the activity, in a language and 
process understandable to the community; 
(gg)Geo-hazards refer to nature and human-induced geological processes that have 
potential to cause destruction and which pose a threat or risk to a person’s life and 
property. These may include, but are not limited to, ground, water and weather-
related conditions, volcanic and earthquake induced hazards such as ground 
shaking, ground rupture, earthquake-induced landslides, liquefaction and tsunami; 
(hh)Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs) refer to groups of 
people or homogenous societies identified by self-ascription and ascription by 
others, who have continuously lived as organized community on communally 
bounded and defined territory, and who have, under claims of ownership since time 
immemorial, occupied, possessed and utilized such territories, sharing common 
bonds of language, customs, traditions and other distinctive cultural traits, or who 
have, through resistance to political, social and cultural inroads of colonization, 
nonindigenous religions and cultures, became historically differentiated from the 
majority of Filipinos. ICCs/IPs shall likewise include peoples who are regarded as 
indigenous on account of their descent from the populations which inhabited the 
country at the time of conquest or colonization, or at the time of inroads of 
nonindigenous religions and cultures, or the establishment of present State 
boundaries, who retain some or all of their own social, economic, cultural and 
political institutions, but who may have been displaced from their traditional 
domains, or who may have resettled outside their ancestral domains; 
(ii) Inland waters refer to waters, which are not coastal and marine waters, and not 
subject to acquisitive prescription consistent with the provisions of Presidential 
Decree No. 1067 or the Water Code of the Philippines; 
(jj) Integrated watershed management refers to a planning strategy or program for 
watershed areas that complement environmentally sound soil and water 
management practices with mechanisms for ensuring greater responsibility, 
involvement, or participation of individuals, groups, communities and other 
stakeholders benefiting from these areas and water-related infrastructure; 
(kk)Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) refer to the present most important sites for 
biodiversity conservation worldwide. These are places of international importance 
for the conservation of biodiversity through protected areas and other governance 
mechanisms. They are identified nationally using simple, standard criteria, based on 
their importance in maintaining species populations; 


(ll) Land refers to resources, both artificial and natural, found on the surface, below,
and above the ground including inland waters and the air therein;
(mm) Land subclassification refers to the act of determining and assigning specific uses
of classified lands such as forest lands, classified agricultural lands, mineral lands
and national parks in accordance with existing laws and this Act;
(nn)Land use refers to the manner of allocation, utilization, management and 
development of land; 
(oo)Land use classification refers to the act of delineating or allocating lands according 
to protection land use, production land use, settlements development and 
infrastructure development as defined and provided for in this Act; 
(pp) Mandatory public hearings/Consultations refer to the mechanism to ensure the 
involvement of concerned stakeholders and communities in land use planning, from 
the barangay to the national level, to ensure the social acceptability of the plans. It 
should involve giving notice of hearing/consultation to concerned stakeholders 
through publication or posting in conspicuous places, conduct of a reasonable 
number of hearings, and solicitation of positions to arrive at a consensus. Public 
presentation and validation of the planning results shall also be undertaken before 
the final adoption of the plans; 
(qq)Marine Protected Area (MPA) refers to a defined area of the sea established and 
set aside by law, administrative regulation or any other effective means in order to 
conserve and protect a part of or the entire enclosed environment, through the 
establishment of management guidelines. It includes all declared areas governed by 
specific rules or guidelines in order to protect and manage activities within the 
enclosed area; 
(rr) Mineral exploration refers to the systematic searching or prospecting for mineral 
resources including energy resources; 
(ss) Mineral lands refer to lands of the public domain, excluding those in permanent 
forestlands and protection lands, where mineral resources are found in sufficient 
quantity and quality for extraction, development and utilization; 
(tt) Multiple use of land resources refer to the utilization or management strategy for 
any land, which allows any activity, involving one or more of its resources, 
depending on the result of prior evaluation on its numerous beneficial use, that will 
produce the optimum benefits to the development and progress of the country and 
the public welfare without impairment or with the least injury to its other resources; 


(uu) Municipal waters refers to not only streams, lakes, inland bodies of water and 
tidal waters within the municipality which are not included within the protected 
areas as defined under Republic Act No. 7586 of the National Integrated Protected 
Areas System or the NIPAS Act of 1992, public forest, timber lands, forest reserves 
or fishery reserves, but also marine waters included between two (2) lines drawn 
perpendicular to the general coastline from points where the boundary lines of the 
municipality touch the sea at low tide and a third line parallel with the general 
coastline including offshore islands and fifteen (15) kilometers from such coastline. 
Where the territory of a municipality includes several islands, the outermost points 
of such islands shall be used as base points and connected by archipelagic baselines, 
irrespective of the lengths of such baselines from the main coastlines. Where two (2) 
municipalities are situated on opposite shores that there is less than thirty (30) 
kilometers of marine waters between them, the third line shall be equally distant 
from opposite shore of the respective municipalities; 
(vv)National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) refers to the classification and 
administration of all designated protected areas to maintain essential ecological 
processes and life-support systems, to preserve genetic diversity, to ensure 
sustainable use of resources found therein, and to maintain their natural conditions 
to the greatest extent possible; 
(ww) National Land Use Policy Council (VLUPC) refers to the administrative, policy-
making, and regulatory body created under this Act; 
(xx) National park refers to forest reservation essentially of natural wilderness 
character which has been withdrawn from settlement, occupancy or any form of 
exploitation except in conformity with approved management plan and set aside as 
such exclusively to conserve the area or preserve the scenery, natural and historic 
objects, wild animals and plants therein and to provide enjoyment of these features 
in such areas. It shall also refer to lands and waters of the public domain classified 
as such in the 1987 Constitution which include all areas under the NIPAS, pursuant 
to Republic Act No. 7586 or the NIPAS Act of 1992, primarily designated for the 
conservation of native plants and animals and associated habitats and cultural 
diversity; 
(yy)Network of Protected Areas for Agriculture and Agro-industrial Development 
(NPAAAD) refers to agricultural areas identified by the Department of Agriculture 
(DA) through the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) in coordination 
with the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) in 
order to ensure the efficient utilization of land for agriculture and agro-industrial 
development and to promote sustainable growth. The NPAAAD covers all irrigated 
areas; all irrigable lands already covered by irrigation projects; all alluvial plains; 


lands highly suitable for agriculture whether irrigated or not; agro-industrial 
croplands or lands planted to industrial crops that support the validity of existing 
agricultural infrastructure and agro-based enterprises; highlands or areas located at 
an elevation of five hundred (500) meters or above and have the potential for 
growing semi-temperate and high value crops; all agricultural lands that are 
ecologically fragile the conversion of which will result in serious environmental 
degradation; and all mangrove areas and fish sanctuaries; 
(zz) Permanent forests or Forest reserves refer to lands of the private or public domain 
which have been identified and determined to be needed for protection, 
conservation, preservation and management as forests and shall be reserved, 
conserved and protected into perpetuity for such purpose; 
(aaa)Permanent forestlands refer to forestlands, within public lands, that have been 
identified, determined and demarcated on the ground by the State to serve such 
purpose and shall be protected, conserved, preserved, maintained and managed as 
forestlands free from any form of utilization, exploitation or development, and 
reserved permanently as such for the benefit and use of future generations; 
(bbb) Physical framework plans refer to the national, regional or provincial indicative 
plans that outline the overall and macro-level physical development objectives, 
priorities, directions and strategies in its respective levels as prepared, reviewed, 
integrated and finalized by the national, regional and provincial land use 
councils/boards, respectively, based on the Comprehensive Land Use Plans 
(CLUPs) of the LGUs and the national policy guidelines relating to land use and 
environmental management to prevent or mitigate the adverse effects of 
inappropriate resource utilization on food security, the people’s welfare, and their 
environment; 
(ccc)Premature or illegal conversion refers to any activity that modifies or alters the 
physical characteristics of agricultural lands to render them suitable for 
nonagricultural purposes without an approved order of conversion from the 
Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary; 
(ddd) Prime agricultural lands refer to all contiguous irrigated areas and irrigable 
lands already covered by irrigation projects; all alluvial plain lands highly suitable 
for agriculture whether irrigated or not that have been identified to satisfy the 
country’s needs for food self-sufficiency and security; agro-industrial croplands or 
lands presently planted and suitable to industrial and high value crops; highlands, 
or areas located at an elevation of five hundred (500) meters or above and have the 
potential for growing semi-temperature and high value crops outside of declared 


permanent forestlands and protection forests, and are not located in ecologically 
fragile and environmentally critical areas; 
(eee)Production forest refers to forestland located in production lands managed 
primarily for the production of timber and other tree products; 
(fff) Production land use refers to the direct and indirect utilization of land to generate 
outputs resulting from the following activities: agricultural, fish farming or 
aquaculture, timber or agro-forestry, grazing and pasture, mining, indigenous 
energy resource development, industry, and tourism; 
(ggg) Protected areas refer to portions of land and water set aside by reason of their 
unique physical and biological significance, managed to enhance biological 
diversity, and protected against human exploitation. For purposes of this Act, these 
shall also include all natural forests and agricultural lands identified and delineated 
under this Act; 
(hhh) Protection forests refer to forests and forestlands, in both public and private 
lands, that have been identified and determined by the State for the beneficial use of 
present and future generations and shall be preserved, conserved, protected and 
maintained as such free from any form of utilization, exploitation or development; 
(iii) Protection land use refers to the use of land primarily reserved for rehabilitation, 
conservation, and protection purposes and the promotion of the country’s ecological 
and life-support systems; 
(jjj) Public domain refers to lands belonging to the State which may be classified as 
agricultural, forest or timber, mineral, or national park as provided for in the 
Constitution; 
(kkk) Reclassification of agricultural lands refer to the act of specifying how agricultural 
lands shall be utilized for nonagricultural uses such as for residential, industrial, or 
commercial purposes, through the local planning and zoning processes pursuant to 
the Local Government Code of 1991, and subject to the requirements and procedure 
for conversion; 
(lll) Resettlement sites refer to areas identified by the appropriate national agency or 
by the LGU, with respect to areas within its jurisdiction, which shall be used for the 
relocation of the underprivileged and homeless, as defined under Republic Act No. 
7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA) of 1992; 
(mmm) Restoration refers to returning forestland to its original forested state in terms 
of species’ composition, structure, function and productivity; 


(nnn) Restoration zones refer to forest areas where activities are conducted to restore 
its forested state; 
(ooo) River basin refers to the horizontal projection of area from which a river and its 
tributaries receive surface water originating from precipitation; 
(ppp) Settlements refer to communities or built-up environment areas where people 
prefer to live in; 
(qqq) Settlements development refers to any improvement on existing settlements or 
any proposed development of certain areas for settlement purposes. It also involves 
the spatial distribution of population, identification of the roles and functions of key 
urban centers, determination of relationships among settlement areas, and the 
provision of basic services and facilities of identified major settlement areas or 
growth centers; 
(rrr) Shoreline refers to a strip of land covering at least one (1) kilometer from the 
point where seawater reaches during the highest high tide; 
(sss) Spatial data infrastructure refers to a system consisting of spatial data, 
technology, policies, practices, relationships, people and resources necessary to 
acquire, process, store and distribute spatial information to improve sharing and use 
throughout all levels of the government and private sector, among others, which 
shall be operationalized through electronic system that provides access to a network 
of spatial data sources and users and shall serve as the official linkage of the 
government to international and regional spatial data infrastructure; 
(ttt) Socialized housing refers to housing programs and projects covering homelots, 
houses and lots, or low-rise to medium-rise buildings, or high density housing 
projects undertaken by the government or the private sector for the underprivileged 
and homeless citizens which shall include sites and services development, long-term 
financing, direct subsidy programs, liberalized terms on interest payments, and such 
other benefits in accordance with the UDHA and Batas Pambansa Blg. 220; 
(uuu) Socialized housing sites refer to lands identified and designated by LGUs as sites 
for socialized housing pursuant to Article IV of the UDHA and its implementing 
guidelines; 
(vvv) Strategic Agriculture and Fisheries Development Zones (SAFDZs) refer to areas 
within the NPAAAD identified for production, agro-processing and marketing 
activities to help develop and modernize, with the support of government, the 
agriculture and fisheries sectors in an environmentally and socioculturally sound 
manner; 


(www) Subclassification or Reclassification of Agricultural Lands refers to the process 
undertaken by the LGUs of allocating declared agricultural lands in their respective 
territorial jurisdictions to specific uses such as residential, industrial or commercial 
purposes and may be used as a basis for application for land conversion by the 
owners thereof; 
(xxx) Sustainable development refers to the development objective of meeting the needs 
of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to 
meet their own needs, consistent with the principles of social equity, efficiency, and 
environmental integrity; 
(yyy) Sustainable traditional resource rights refer to the rights of ICCs/IPs to 
sustainably use, manage, protect and conserve: (1) land, air, water, and minerals; (2) 
plants, animals and other organisms; (3) collecting, fishing and hunting grounds; (4) 
sacred sites; and (5) other areas of economic, ceremonial and aesthetic value in 
accordance with their indigenous knowledge, beliefs, systems and practices; 
(zzz) Tourism development areas refer to specific sites for tourism development located 
in areas identified as priorities in the national and regional tourism master plans as 
well as those designated through legislative and executive issuances as tourist spots 
and tourist zones which can be developed into tourism estates or integrated resort, 
leisure, recreation complexes, and other tourism-related facilities; 
(aaaa) Tourism ecozone refers to tourism development areas, outside protection lands, 
which have been granted Special Economic Zone status, through the Philippine 
Export Zone Authority (PEZA) registration and issuance of the required Presidential 
Proclamation, with its metes and bounds delineated by said Proclamation, pursuant 
to Republic Act No. 7916 or The Special Economic Zone Act (SEZA) of 1995, as 
amended; 
(bbbb) Tourism estates refer to large tracts of land with well-defined boundaries in 
any area, excluding those in protection lands, identified in the Philippine tourism 
master plan and regional tourism master plan, by proclamation of the President 
and/or by acts of Congress and/or by local legislation and declared suited for the 
development of an integrated tourism and resort complex with prescribed carrying 
capacities and limits for its facilities and activities; 
(cccc) Tourist spot refers to a particular area/site/spot, human-made or natural, 
known for its unique tourist/visitor-drawing attributes and activities and which 
may be classified according to its social, cultural, natural, historical, aesthetic, visual, 
scientific, religious, and recreational significance; 


(dddd) Tourist zone refers to a geographic area with well-defined boundaries 
proclaimed as such by the President of the Philippines and/or by acts of Congress. 
No development projects for any purpose shall be initiated and introduced within 
the zone prior to the formulation of a tourism master development plan which shall 
be undertaken in coordination with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the 
Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA). A tourist zone is 
established for the enhancement and/or the conservation of cultural and historical 
heritage and for the appreciation and enjoyment of the local population and its 
visitors; 
(eeee) Urban areas refer to all cities regardless of their population density and to 
municipalities with a population density of at least five hundred (500) persons per 
square kilometer; 
(ffff) Urbanizable areas refer to sites and lands which, considering present 
characteristics and prevailing conditions, display marked and great potential of 
becoming urban areas within a period of five (5) years; 
(gggg) Urban forestry or Green space refers to the establishment or setting-up of areas 
for mini-forest, eco-parKs or small nature parks, in both public and private lands: 
wetlands, human-made lagoons and lakes systems, riverbanks and shores, 
grasslands, roof and rock gardens: lining roads and highways with trees, shrubs, or 
ornamental plants, and ground landscaping of schools, hospitals, and other 
government agencies in order to improve the environment in urban areas; 
(hhhh) Water security refers to the sufficient access throughout the year to the 
minimum daily requirement of clean water to maintain a healthy life; 
(iiii) Water use refers to the appropriation of water for domestic, municipal, irrigation, 
power generation, inland fisheries, poultry and livestock, industrial and commercial, 
environmental, and recreational use; 
(jjjj) Watershed refers to a topographically delineated area of land from which 
rainwater can drain as surface run-off vis-a-vis a specific stream or river system to a 
common outlet point which may be a dam, trrigation system or urban water supply 
take-off point, or where the stream discharges into a river, lake, or the sea; 
(kkkk) Zoning refers to the regulatory tool for delineating the specific land uses in 
accordance with the approved CLUP within the territorial jurisdiction of a 
city/municipality and specifying the conditions for their regulation; subject to the 
limitations imposed by law and competent authority; and  


(llll) Zoning ordinance (ZO) refers to a local law passed by the Sangguniang Bayan 
or Panlungsod approving the development control/zoning plan in accordance with 
an approved or adopted CLUP of the city/municipality, providing for the 
regulations and other conditions on the land uses including the limitation on the 
infrastructure that may be placed within the city’s/municipality’s territorial 
jurisdiction. It incorporates the protected areas, protected agricultural lands and 
ancestral lands as provided for in this Act. 
SECTION 5. Basic Land Use Considerations. - Various land uses as categorized in 
the succeeding section shall be determined in a manner that promotes the policies 
and principles defined in Section 2 of this Act and shall consider the following 
elements of the framework therefor, among others: 
(a) Protection land use category as defined in Section 6 shall prevail over 
existing production land use category. The State shall undertake the necessary action 
in changing the classification of these production areas; 
(b) Preservation, conservation, rehabilitation and protection to perpetuity of 
permanent forestlands, critical watersheds, key biodiversity areas, environmentally 
critical and ecologically fragile areas and prime agricultural lands from any other 
land use, conversion, disposition, intrusion, utilization and development aside from 
their determined use and limits; 
(c) Protection of natural forests and natural resources ensures environmental 
stability, conserve biological diversity, improve ecosystem functions and provide 
long-term ecological and economic benefits. Designated restoration areas are 
designed to revive the ecosystem functions and services of forests as well as improve 
the economic and ecological benefits of local communities; 
(d) Protection of forest and wetlands from infrastructure development to 
preserve the ecological services they provide which are essential to economic 
development. These activities include, but not limited to, river channelization and 
dredging, large-scale irrigation and river diversions which reduce riverine habitat 
and alter flood patterns and natural flow regimes, reduce downstream water 
availability for agriculture and contribute to salinization through saltwater intrusion 
in coastal areas; 
(e) Resolution of land use conflicts which are life-threatening or threatening to 
public safety, sustainability of key production resources or employment activities 
and the delivery of basic services which are harmful or destructive to protected areas, 
flora, fauna, and other protected natural resources. Greater consideration shall be 


given to the human and tenurial rights of vulnerable groups in resolving land use 
conflicts; 
(f) Identification of geo-hazard prone areas and high-risk/danger zones and 
corresponding risk reduction measures to ensure the prioritization of life and safety: 
Provided, That specifically identified and assessed as extremely hazardous and high-
risk/danger zones shall be similarly protected and cleared from all forms of human-
made obstacles, obstructions and instructions to ensure and secure public health and 
safety; 
(g) Respect for existing customary rights and traditional land uses of ICCs/IPs; 
(h) Identification of settlement areas to check the demand for land and 
establish the location of employment-generating industries and basic services; and 
(i) The availability of natural resources including indigenous energy resources 
for energy security and self-sufficiency. However, infrastructure energy projects such 
as dams with large reservoirs in natural ecosystems shall not be allowed if it would 
interrupt the connectivity of river systems, disrupt fish spawning and migration, and 
alter seasonal flood regimes. 
SECTION 6. Categories of Land Uses for Planning Purpose. — In determining and 
defining the national, regional and provincial framework plans, and CLUPs, land 
uses shall be grouped into four (4) major functional uses as follows: 
(a) Protection Land Use refers to the use of land primarily reserved for 
rehabilitation, conservation, and protection purposes and the promotion of the 
country’s ecological and life-support systems. Planning for protection land use 
intends to achieve environmental stability and ecological integrity, ensure a balance 
between resource use and the preservation of some areas with environmental, 
aesthetic, educational, cultural and historical significance, aid and protect people and 
human-made structures from the ill-effects of natural hazards. 
Areas under this category are those covered by the NIPAS Act of 1992 and 
other coastal and marine protected areas; areas outside NIPAS, which include, but 
are not limited to: 
(1) Natural and restored forests, which consist of: 
(i) All existing areas within forestland containing primary and 
secondary forests of whatever types or species; 
(ii) All existing areas within forestland containing secondary-growth or 
residual forests of whatever type or specie; 
(iii) Areas identified as key biodiversity areas (KBAs); 
(iv) Restoration areas; 


(v) All mangrove forests; 
(vi) All easement areas as defined under Presidential Decree No. 1067, 
otherwise known as the Water Code of the Philippines; and 
(vii) All other areas that would be deemed appropriate for protection, 
as designated by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources 
(DENR), subject to the approval of the NLUPC created pursuant to Section 55 
hereof. 
(2) Rehabilitated and/or reforested degraded mining areas; 
(3) Critical ecosystems for protection, such as: 
(i) Coral reefs; 
(ii) Marshes and wetlands; 
(iii) Lakes and rivers; 
(iv) Caves; and 
(v) Waterfalls. 
(4) Disaster-prone areas that include areas subject to, or may be subject to: 
(i) Recurrent flooding; 
(ii) Liquefaction; 
(iii) Tsunamis; 
(iv) Storm surges; 
(v) Polar vortex; 
(vi) Mass wasting; 
(vi1) Volcanic eruption; 
(viii) Direct impact of seismic activity; 
(ix) Other disasters caused by climatic conditions; and 
(x) Other areas that pose a high degree of hazard to human occupation 
and activity. 
(5) Critical watershed areas; 
(6) Marine protected areas; 
(7) All prime agricultural lands as defined under this Act; 
(8) Ecologically fragile and environmentally critical areas whose conversion 
will result to serious environmental problems and threats to public health and 
safety; 
(9) Natural and human-made areas/sites of cultural, historical and 
anthropological significance, which are declared as such by internationally 
recognized institutions; and 
(10) All other areas not included and declared as production areas shall 
become protected areas. 


(b) Production Land Use refers to the most efficient, sustainable, and equitable 
utilization, development and management of land for productive purposes which are 
not classified for protection land use as defined in this section. Areas included in this 
category are agricultural lands, coastal and marine zones, production forest, mineral 
lands, energy resource lands, industrial, and tourism development areas where 
productive activities could be undertaken to meet the country’s requirements for 
economic growth and development. Production land use shall comprise of, but shall 
not be limited to: 
(1)Other agricultural lands not identified as prime agricultural lands. They 
shall consist of, but shall not be limited to: 
 
(i) Lands whose soils are suitable for agricultural development; 
(ii) All alluvial plain lands that are suitable for agricultural production 
and/or can be devoted to food production; 
(iii) All lands that are traditional sources of staple food; 
(iv) All croplands required to attain a certain scale of production to 
sustain the economic viability of existing agro-based industries in the 
municipality, city or province; and 
(v) All lands in areas not highly prone to natural hazards that are 
suitable for the production of tree crops and other cash crops. 
(2)Coastal, inland water and marine zones, such as fishponds; 
(3)Production forests, such as: 
(i) All areas within forestland not classified as protection forests under 
Section 6(a) and shall be devoted to the production of timber and/or non- forest 
products or the establishment of industrial tree plantations, tree farms, 
woodlots, agro-forestry, or as multiple-use forests; 
(ii) All areas within forestlands considered as rangelands for grazing 
purposes; and 
(iii) All areas within forestlands managed under the community-based 
forest management in areas not classified as protection forests. 
(4)Rangelands for grazing; 
(5)Industrial development areas; and 
(6)Tourism development areas, including potential small islands for similar 
purposes. 
(c) Settlements and Institutional Land Use refers to the use of urban and rural lands 
for settlements development purposes and/or improvements on existing settlements 
involving the spatial distribution of population, identification of the roles and 
functions of key urban centers, determination of relationships among settlement 


areas, and the provision of basic services and facilities to such settlements. It shall also 
include lands identified for institutional uses such as educational, administrative, 
government, law enforcement, health care and social services. Settlements and 
institutional land uses aim to ensure for the present and future generation the: 
(1) Effective integration of activities within and among settlements, allowing 
efficient movement of people and production of commodities through the 
provision of appropriate land, infrastructure, and facilities; and 
(2) Access of the population to housing, education, health care, recreation, 
transportation and communication, sanitation, and basic utilities such as water, 
power, waste disposal, and other services; 
(d) Infrastructure Land Use refers to the use of land dedicated to the provision of basic 
services that foster economic and other forms of integration necessary for producing 
or obtaining the material requirements of Filipinos, in an efficient, responsive, safe 
and ecologically friendly built environment. It includes, among others, subsectors 
like: road networks, transportation and communication facilities, social services, 
environmental service facilities, and utilities.  
Provided, That the determination of the functional uses of lands within ancestral 
domains should be consistent with the land use categories provided for in this Act: 
Provided, further, That other subcategories of land uses in delineated ancestral domains 
may be formulated by the concerned ICCs/IPs themselves in accordance with their 
particular needs and traditional resource management systems. 
  
SECTION 7. Land Use Plans for Ancestral Domains. — Land use plans for ancestral 
domains shall be formulated by the ICCs/IPs themselves in accordance with their 
particular needs and traditional resource and management systems with the 
assistance of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), the LGUs and 
civil society organizations (CSOs) concerned. Such plans shall be recognized and 
adopted in the barangay, city/municipal, provincial, regional and national physical 
framework plans. 
Physical framework plans made prior to the delineation of ancestral domains 
included in such plans or ordinances shall, without prejudice to the rights of the 
ICCs/IPs concerned, adopt different land use categories in accordance with their 
particular needs and traditional resource and management systems.  
In cases where there are no ADSDPPs, the LGUs and the ICCs/IPs shall jointly 
formulate the land use plan within the ancestral domain until such time that the 
ICCs/IPs have formulated their ADSDPPs. 


SECTION 8. Adoption of Multiple Uses of Lands. - The primary and alternative uses 
of a specific land resource shall be determined and evaluated by the respective local 
land use boards prior to any decision for the assignment of its use. Areas feasible for 
sustainable land resource use may be considered multiple-use zones wherein 
settlements, tourism, agriculture, agro-forestry and extraction activities and other 
income-generating, or livelihood activities may be allowed, except areas under 
protection land use: Provided, That multiple uses of land resources shall be in 
accordance with priorities in land use allocation identified in the approved physical 
framework and land use plans wherein such multiple uses are compatible with the 
original land use and planning, and that no reclassification shall be allowed: Provided, 
further, That, where there are vested rights, titles, and claims prior to the enactment 
of this Act over the areas feasible for sustainable land resource use, the same shall be 
respected. 
SECTION 9. Review of Land Use Classification. - The NLUPC shall review and assess 
the current land use classification system and definitions used in the country to 
ensure that it reflects the actual use of lands in the country.  
The Land Management Bureau (LMB) shall provide the necessary technical  
information, conduct the needed assessment of the status of the existing land use 
classification and shall submit an assessment report to the NLUPC not later than 
ninety (90) days from the establishment of the latter. 
SECTION 10. Consideration of Assessment Report. — Upon validation and 
affirmation by local land use boards, the land use classification assessment report 
submitted by the LMB shall be taken into consideration by the NLUPC in the 
formulation of its planning guidelines. 
SECTION 11. Integrated Management Strategy. — For more effective planning, 
management, and protection of protected areas at the provincial and city/municipal 
levels, the Protected Area Management Plan (PAMP) referred to in the NIPAS Law 
shall be incorporated in the Provincial Physical Framework Plan (PPFP) and CLUPs 
if applicable, wherein protected area zoning shall be reflected. 
SECTION 12. Priority Areas for Agricultural Government. — The priority areas for 
agricultural development are the areas distributed under agrarian reform, areas that 
can be covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), and those 
identified as part of the NPAAAD. The mapping of the NPAAAD under the 
Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA) shall be completed not later 
than one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act. 


SECTION 13. Conversion of Agricultural Lands. — All lands considered and 
identified as prime agricultural lands shall be maintained, managed and protected 
for agricultural use and shall not be subjected to any form of conversion or 
reclassification. 
All other agricultural lands not identified as prime agricultural lands can only be 
converted to nonagricultural uses upon issuance of a DAR conversion order: 
Provided, That such conversion shall not drastically change the nature of the overall 
land uses in the surrounding and adjacent areas from its existing land use. 
Provided, That consistent with the State policy on giving priority to the completion of 
the CARP, those lands covered under compulsory acquisition/voluntary offer to sell, 
production or profit-sharing subject to CARP shall also be protected from conversion 
pending the distribution and/or installation of the farmer beneficiaries. 
Provided, further, That pending the completion of mapping activities of the specific. 
areas under the NPAAAD and the SAFDZs under the AFMA and their incorporation 
in the National Physical Framework Plan (NPFP), the application for conversion of 
these areas shall not be given due course by the appropriate government agency. 
SECTION 14. Priority Areas for Agricultural Development Within Ancestral 
Domain. — Agricultural lands within ancestral domain shall be developed in 
accordance with their ADSDPP. 
SECTION 15. Respect for Ancestral Domain. — The Ancestral Domain Management 
Plan (ADMP) or ADSDPP shall be adopted and integrated into the CLUP and/or 
other plans that the LGU is mandated to produce. The extent of ancestral domains 
shall be reflected in the land use plan, and shall be zoned as such in the zoning 
ordinance. It shall be comanaged by the LGU and ICC/IP community. Additionally, 
the ADMP/ADSDPP shall be included in the investment plans of the LGU. 
SECTION 16. Ancestral Domain Policy Adoption. — Ancestral domain policies shall 
be adopted in the LGU’s land use policy framework. However, in the event that the 
ADMP/ADSDPP is still in the formulation stage or remains to be formulated, the 
right to self-determination, and the observance of traditional resource and 
management systems and processes shall be upheld at all times, as provided for 
under Republic Act No. 3871. 
SECTION 17. Permanent Forestlands. — All forestlands are classified as forest or 
timberlands. Titles, settlements, permits, leases, and/or agreements within critical 


habitats, critical watershed areas, protected areas and KBAs shall be reviewed, and 
their legality affirmed. All erroneous titles, settlements, permits, leases and/or 
agreements within permanent forestlands shal! be cancelled or revoked in due 
course. Noncompliance with and violations of these instruments shall be grounds for 
their cancellation or revocation: 
Provided, That the applicable provisions of Republic Act No. 3871 shall be respected. 
Upon recommendation by the LGU, or the Forest Board, the DENR Secretary shall 
revoke the abovementioned instruments. 
SECTION 18. Additional Areas to be Included as Permanent Forestlands. — The 
following lands are needed for environmental protection and forestry purposes and 
shall not be reclassified as agricultural lands or for any other land use: 
(a) Isolated patches of forest, regardless of size and/or area, with rocky terrain or 
which protect a spring/water source for communal use; 
(b) All mangroves and swamplands including twenty (20)-meter wide strips facing 
oceans, lakes and other bodies of water not yet classified as alienable and disposable 
lands; 
(c) Ridge tops and plateaus regardless of size found within or surrounded wholly or 
partially by forestlands where headwaters emanate; 
(d) Twenty (20)-meter wide strips of land from the edge of the normal high waterline 
of rivers and streams with channels of at least five (5) meters width which are not yet 
classified as alienable and disposable; 
(e) Areas needed for public interest such as research or experimental purposes; and 
(f) Areas considered as environmentally critical because of their vulnerability to 
damage from landslides, volcanic eruptions, and other natural causes. 
SECTION 19. Reversion of Alienable and Disposable Lands to Forestlands. — Upon 
the recommendation of the DENR Secretary, duly reviewed and endorsed by the 


NLUPC, and after due consultations with the concerned LGUs and the affected 
parties, Congress may authorize the reversion of alienable and disposable lands of 
the public domain or portion thereof to forestlands. 
SECTION 20. Critical Watershed Areas. — The DENR, in coordination with the DA, 
the LGUs concerned, and other government agencies, including government-owned 
and - controlled corporations, and after mandatory public hearings/consultations, 
shall identify and delineate critical watershed areas that need to be protected, 
rehabilitated, enhanced, and/or withdrawn from uses that contribute to their further 
degradation. 
SECTION 21. Formulation and Implementation of Integrated Watershed 
Management Plans. — With the assistance of the DENR and upon mandatory 
consultations with the concerned sectors and communities, the LGUs, through their 
local land use boards, shall prepare their watershed management plans which shall 
be integrated into their respective CLUPs. The formulation and integration of the 
plan shall be guided, among others, by the principle of the management and 
development of inland water resources at the watershed level and shall be consistent 
with the National Forestry Master Plan (NFMP).  
The DENR and the concerned LGUs shall jointly implement the watershed 
management plan subject to regular consultations with and involvement of the 
community and other stakeholders in the implementation of the plan. 
SECTION 22. Establishment and Management of National Parks. — All areas 
proclaimed by the President and Congress to be under the NIPAS, unless 
disestablished, including those identified initial components of the NIPAS as KBAs 
shall comprise the National Parks classification of the public domain. The DENR and 
concerned LGUs shall ensure that such areas are integrated in the CLUP and physical 
framework plans: Provided, however, That the preparation of management plans of 
protected areas and national parks shall be in accordance with the provisions of the 
NIPAS Act and other laws establishing or declaring specific areas as protected areas. 
SECTION 23.  Establishment of Restoration Zones. — Restoration areas shall be 
designated in the management plan as such. Designation of restoration zones is 
compulsory in all forest management plans and for all LGUs. 


SECTION 24. Priority Areas for Agricultural Development Within Ancestral 
Domain. — Criteria for the Allocation and Utilization of Lands Within the Coastal 
Zones. — The allocation and utilization of lands within the coastal zones shall be 
subject to the following guidelines: 
(a) Areas vegetated with mangrove species shall be protected, preserved and 
managed as mangrove forestland and shall not be converted to other uses; 
(b) Areas that meet all accepted criteria on elevation, soil type, soil depth topography, 
supply for successful fishpond development, and are not identified as mangrove 
protected areas, shall be utilized for aquaculture purposes as long as a 4:1 ratio for 
mangroves and fishponds is maintained to support ecological processes in mangrove 
ecosystems; 
(c) Areas subclassified as mangrove and still suitable for use as such, or due to 
environmental conditions need to be preserved as mangroves but are devoid of 
mangrove stands, shall not be converted to other uses. The DENR shall ensure that 
these lands shall be reforested within a given period of time;  
(d) Areas accessible to the sea and identified for fisherfolk settlement and housing 
but are not part of or are not within any protected land use areas shall be allocated to 
traditional fisherfolk who are inhabitants of the coastal communities, members of 
registered fisherfolk organizations, holders of stewardship lease contracts or titles to 
ancestral domains or any form of property right arrangements who participate in 
coastal resource management initiatives, subject to the usual census procedures of 
the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD): Provided, 
That the government shall issue marine tenurial rights to organizations concerned 
based on a criteria to be established by the NLUPC; 
(e) Areas that are neither subclassified as mangrove, fisherfolk settlement nor 
fishpond may be devoted to recreational or tourism purposes: Provided, That such 
undertaking will not result in environmental degradation and displacement of small 
fisherfolk; 
(f) Areas which are considered as traditional fishing grounds shall be used primarily 
for such purpose; 


(g) Areas shall be allocated for small infrastructure needed by municipal fisherfolk
and for fishing gear, boats, and post-harvest facilities; and \
(h) Areas which form part of foreshore lands as defined in this Act, including those
under lease agreements or arrangements shall undergo zoning and evaluation so
their boundaries, actual sizes and corresponding uses can be determined while
ensuring that mangrove protection or restoration zones are considered to keep the
required 4:1 ratio between mangroves and fishponds.
SECTION 25. Coastal Land Zone Subclassification. — All public lands in the coastal 
zones shall be subclassified into any of the following: fishponds, mangroves, 
protection from tidal surge for preservation of biodiversity, habitats and sanctuaries 
for endangered wildlife, fisherfolk settlement, or recreational/tourism areas. No 
subclassification of coastal zones to different uses shall be done without the 
following: 
(a) Conduct of a comprehensive inventory and resource and environmental
assessment by the DENR with respective LGUs and accredited Nongovernment
organizations/peoples organizations (NGOs/ POs) within their jurisdiction. The
result of such assessment along with a list of all existing applications and expired
Foreshore Lease Agreements shall be posted in three (3) conspicuous places in the
affected localities; and
(b) Prior consultation with local Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management
Councils (FARMCs) formed pursuant to Republic Act No. 8550 or The Philippine
Fisheries Code of 1998.
SECTION 26. Zoning of Coastal Areas. — The LGUs, in coordination with the DENR, 
the FARMCs, local fisherfolk organizations and other concerned stakeholders such 
as women and the youth, shall prepare the Coastal Zoning Resource Management 
Plan (CZRMP) which shall be incorporated in the CLUP. Management zones defined 
in the CZRMP should be reflected in the CLUP and the subsequent ZO. 
SECTION 27. Tourism and Recreation Zone. — The designation of areas _ for 
tourism and resorts near or over fishery areas or ports thereof shall be with the 
consent of the concerned LGUs and FARMCs, and shall comply with the policies and 
guidelines set forth in this Act. 


SECTION 28. Protection of Waterways, Easements and Flood Plains. — Structures 
of any kind shall not be built in waterways and easements. Pursuant to Presidential 
Decree No. 1067 or the Water Code of the Philippines, the banks of rivers and streams 
and the shores of the seas and lakes throughout their entire length and within a zone 
of three (3) meters in urban areas, twenty (20) meters in agricultural areas and forty 
(40) meters in forest areas, along their margins are subject to the easement of public 
use only in the interest of recreation, navigation, floatage, fishing and salvage.  
The protection of flood plains shall adopt a river basin management approach, in 
order to come up with integrated flood mitigation interventions. Development 
within flood plains and other flood-prone areas must be controlled or, if allowed, 
must be so sited, constructed and serviced that the lives of occupants are not put at 
risk and that disruptions during floods are minimized. The identification and 
characterization of flood-prone areas and flood plains shall be an integral part of the 
CLUP preparation. The LGUs shall establish land use regulations to mitigate flood 
risks through the CLUPs and ZOs. 
To promote the best interest and the coordinated protection of flood plains, the 
Department of Public Works and Highways (DP WH), in coordination with the 
Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the DENR, shall declare flood 
contro! areas, as necessary, and shall prohibit or control activities that could damage 
or cause deterioration of lakes and dikes, obstruct the flow of water, change the 
natural flow of rivers, increase losses or aggravate flood problems pursuant to the 
Water Code of the Philippines. 
SECTION 29. Disposition of Public Lands for Fishponds. — Upon the effectivity of 
this Act, but subject to existing rights and the preceding section, no fishpond lease 
agreement (FLA) shall be issued for tidal swamps, mangroves and oilier swamps, 
marshes, ponds, foreshore lands, and coastal areas within public lands, including 
those presently declared available for fishpond development. The NLUPC, in 
coordination with the DENR, the DA, the FARMCs and the LGUs shall set aside a 
portion of available public lands for fish propagation, fish sanctuary, conservation, 
ecological purposes and fisherfolk settlement areas. Fishponds covered by existing 
FLAs, but are abandoned or are not operating efficiently and are found suitable for 
mangroves shall be reforested with mangroves. 
SECTION 30. Immediate Restoration of Converted Mangrove Areas. — The DENR, 
in coordination with the FARMCs and other concerned agencies, shall immediately 


take steps in the restoration of all abandoned, undeveloped and underutilized 
fishponds to their original state as mangrove forests. 
SECTION 31. Policies on Mineral Lands. — Land use policies for mineral lands shall 
be geared towards the rational, ecologically sound, and sustainable use of mineral 
resources which shall promote economic growth for the local economy and uphold 
the human rights of indigenous peoples and local communities in the affected areas. 
SECTION 32. Criteria for the Allocation and Utilization of Lands for Mining 
Purposes. — The allocation and utilization of lands for mining purposes shall be 
guided by the following: 
(a) The principles of sustainable development shall be observed at all times; 
(b) In case of small-scale mining, adequate and acceptable safeguards shall be 
instituted by the holders of mining rights or permits to prevent environmental 
degradation of the mining sites and adjacent areas; 
(c) Mineral reservations which have become nonoperational for more than ten (10) 
years as determined by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) shall be placed 
under appropriate surface management by the DENR; and 
(d) Ancestral domains declared as protected by virtue of their ADSDPP as well as all 
watershed areas shall be closed to mining. 
SECTION 33. Reversion of Mineral Lands. — All mineral lands with exhausted 
mineral resources, as determined by the MGB, shall automatically revert to their 
original land classification, that is, as forest land or agricultural land. The concerned 
mining companies shall bear the full cost of rehabilitation of these areas. 
SECTION 34. Guidelines for the Allocation and Utilization of Lands for Energy 
Resource Exploration, Development, Production, Utilization, and Distribution 
Purposes. — To ensure that the objectives of maintaining ecological balance and 
maximizing the power potential from indigenous energy resources in the most 
economical and environmentally acceptable means are realized, the allocation and 
utilization of lands shall be guided by the following, consistent with existing 
regulations and laws on energy resources:  


(a) Indigenous energy resource exploration and development, for the purpose of 
creating a National Energy Resource Inventory and Database as well as an Energy 
Resource Block Map shall be allowed subject to the implementation of 
complementary watershed and other land management plans; 
(b) Indigenous energy resource exploration, development production, utilization, 
and distribution shall be subject to the appropriate requirements and processes of the 
Philippine Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) system. Each project shall secure 
an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) prior to project implementation to 
ensure that adequate and appropriate environmental management measures and 
optimum methods for resource access and recovery are used; 
(c) Protected areas as defined in Section 4 hereof shall be closed to any kind of energy 
resource development; 
(d) Energy reservations or portions thereof which have become or have been 
established to be non-economically viable to operate or are no longer used for energy 
purposes shall be reclassified to other land uses, subject to existing laws covering 
energy reservations; and 
(e) Renewable energy shall be preferred over other energy resource. 
SECTION 35. Reversion of Energy Resource Lands. — All exhausted indigenous 
energy resource lands as determined by the Department of Energy (DOE), which are 
not covered by proclamations shall automatically revert to the category of forestlands 
or agricultural lands open to disposition, whichever is appropriate, unless the DENR 
shall classify such areas for other purposes. Exhausted energy resource lands shall 
refer to specific energy resource sites whose energy reserves of the desired type/s are 
no longer in sufficient quantity or quality to justify additional expenditure for their 
extraction and utilization. 
SECTION 36. Municipalities, Cities, and Settlements Development, — The 
development of municipalities, cities, and settlements through CLUP and 
implemented by the ZOs of cities and municipalities shall be guided by urban zoning 
standards designed to maximize existing urban spaces taking into account studies of 
pertinent government agencies on climate change. 


SECTION 37. Settlements Within Geo-hazard Areas and/or High Risk/Danger 
Zones. - Settlements within geo-hazard areas and/or high risk/danger zones shall 
not be allowed. In cases where there are existing settlements within geo-hazard areas 
and/or high risk/danger zones, the concerned government agencies shall provide 
assistance to concerned LGUs and settlers in instituting safety and corrective 
measures to address the potential danger or risk. 
SECTION 38. Designation of Waste and Environment Management Site. — Each city 
or municipality shall identify and designate an area to serve as waste and 
environment management, waste disposal, and facilities within one (1) year from the 
effectivity of this Act. The LGUs, in coordination with the DENR or any other 
competent authority, shall identify sanitary landfill in order to fast-track the conduct 
of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study and to facilitate the processing 
of the ECC. The site or area shall be identified in the city’s or municipality's CLUP. 
For this purpose, cities and municipalities shall establish their solid waste 
management program, pursuant to Republic Act No. 9003, otherwise known as the 
“Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000”. Likewise, as provided under 
Section 33 of the Local Government Code of 1991, cities and municipalities may, 
through appropriate ordinances, bind themselves towards the establishment of a 
common solid waste management program. 
Within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act, the DENR, in coordination 
with concerned agencies, shall promulgate the necessary guidelines and standards 
for the formulation and establishment of solid waste management programs by cities 
and municipalities, and shall submit the same to the NLUPC for review and 
approval. 
SECTION 39. Designation and Zoning of Socialized Housing Sites. — Each city or 
municipality in urban, urbanizable and rural areas shall designate, through the 
CLUP, adequate lands for housing or residential purposes, including socialized 
housing and resettlement areas for the immediate and future needs of the local 
population as well as the underprivileged and homeless in their territory, pursuant 
to existing laws and regulations. In order to ensure adequate availability of land for 
the housing needs of the local population, the CLUP may be revised at the minimum 
of ten (10) years, and reviewable not earlier than every five (5) years.  
The designated sites for socialized housing shall be located in residential zones, and 
shall be zoned as socialized housing zones that are integrated in the city’s or  ZO, 


duly approved by the NLUPC, pursuant to existing laws and regulations. Preference 
shall be given to lands proximate to public transportation facilities which may 
include inter alia railways and public terminals. 
The location of resettlement areas may either be on-site or off-site and may be within 
the city or municipality: Provided, That designated settlement and socialized housing 
areas shall consider the proximity and accessibility of the affected community to 
employment, economic activities and social services. 
Within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act, the NLUPC, in coordination 
with concerned agencies, pursuant to HUDCC Resolution No. 521, Series of 1992, 
Executive Order No. 124, Series of 1993; and other pertinent guidelines on the matter, 
shall promulgate the necessary guidelines for the identification and designation of 
housing sites. All cities and municipalities in urban and urbanizing areas shall 
identify and designate their socialized housing sites within one (1) year from the 
effectivity of this Act and must submit the list of these sites and their respective areas 
to the HUDCC. These sites shall be used exclusively for socialized housing as defined 
in the UDHA. 
SECTION 40. Zoning of Identified Sites for Socialized Housing. = The identified sites 
for socialized housing shall be located in residential zones identified by the city’s or 
municipality’s CLUP and ZO duly approved by the NLUPC. However, for cities and 
municipalities where the identified sites are not within the said residential zones, the 
location shall be within the priority sites and conform with the suitability criteria as 
defined in Sections 6.3 and 6.4 of the Guidelines in HUDCC Resolution No. 521, Series 
of 1992, or as may be defined in subsequent issuances. The identified sites shall be 
zoned as socialized housing zones as defined herein.  
The current ZO of LGUs shall be reviewed and revised such that the socialized 
housing component shall be integrated thereto. 
SECTION 41. Valuation of Lands for Socialized Housing. — Equitable land valuation 
guidelines for socialized housing shall be set by the Department of Finance (DOF) on 
the basis of the market value reflected in the zonal valuation, or in its absence, on the 
latest real property tax declaration. For sites already occupied by qualified 
beneficiaries under the UDHA, and sites identified as socialized housing zones as 
defined in this Act, the DOF shall factor into the valuation, the blighted status of the 
land as certified by the LGU or the National Housing Authority (NHA). 


SECTION 42. Guidelines for Identification of Settlement Sites. — In identifying 27 
settlement areas, prospective sites should be: 
(a) Within alienable and disposable lands but not in environmentally critical, geo- 
hazard or other protection areas; 
(b) Along established urban growth directions; 
(c) With provisions for or can be provided with basic services and utilities; 
(d) Within the 0 to 8% slope range; and 
(e) Accessible from existing built-up areas and other employment centers through 
existing or proposed roads and other transportation services. 
SECTION 43. Urban Forest or Green Space. — Each city or highly-urbanizing 
municipality shall identify, designate, and allocate lands owned by the city or 
municipality as urban forest or green space, based on the guidelines and standards 
to be issued by the DENR and approved by the NLUPC. 
SECTION 44. Protection of Ecological Harmony. — To ensure the ecological 
harmony of towns, cities and settlements, certain projects that can alter the present 
use of a zoned area shall not be issued a building permit, business permit, and/or 
development permit. The identification of these projects shall be done in coordination 
with the LGU concerned. All LGUs shall be required to designate restoration areas 
in their forest land use plans. 
SECTION 45. Criteria for Designating Industrial Development Areas. — The 
identification and establishment of industrial development areas shall conform to the 
provisions of Republic Act No. 7916 or the SEZA of 1995 as amended by Republic 
Act No. 8748, Republic Act No. 6657 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law 
(CARL) as amended by Republic Act No. 9700 or the Comprehensive Agrarian 
Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPER), Republic Act No. 8371 or the 
IPRA, Republic Act No. 7279 or the UDHA, Republic Act No. 8550 or the Philippine 
Fisheries Code as amended by Republic Act No. 10654, and Republic Act No. 8435 or 
the AFMA, taking into consideration the following: 


(a) Identified network of areas for agricultural development and protected 
agricultural areas pursuant to Republic Act No. 8435; 
(b) National policies on the regional dispersal of industries and agri-based industrial 
development;  
(c) Identified growth areas and corridors in the National Development Plan; (d) 
NIPAS and non-NIPAS areas such as, but not limited to, KBAs and restored areas 
that require protection; 
(e) National and Urban Development and Housing Framework; 
(f) Identified Socialized Housing Zones; and 
(g) National Framework for Physical Planning and other existing national programs 
and policies.  
The designated industrial development areas shall be located only in production land 
use areas and shall become an integral part of the land use plan and ZO of the city or 
municipality where these areas are located. Republic Act No. 9700, Republic Act No. 
8371, Republic Act No. 7279, Republic Act No. 8550, Republic Act No. 8435, and 
Republic Act No. 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991 shall apply to all Special 
Economic Zones and Free Ports. 
SECTION 46. Designating Tourism Development Areas. — The identification, 
selection, and development of tourism development areas, and tourism enterprise 
zones (TEZs) shall be done in consultation and coordination with the concerned 
LGUs, the TIEZA, the DOT, and other concerned national government agencies, the 
private sector and the communities, subject to the provisions of Republic Act No. No. 
9593 or the Tourism Act of 2009. Tourism development areas shall likewise include 
those covered by legislative and executive issuances such as tourist spots, tourist 
zones and tourism ecozones which can be developed into tourism estates or 
integrated resort, leisure and recreation complexes and other tourism-related 
facilities as well as those identified in the national, regional, and area-specific tourism 
master plans and other sector plans, such as ecotourism and agritourism sites: 
Provided, That such sites designated for tourism development are outside of areas 
identified for protection land use. As much as practicable, community-based tourism 


shall be the principal mode of tourist spot operation. Republic Act No. 9700, Republic 
Act No. 8371, Republic Act No. 7279, Republic Act No. 8550, Republic Act No. 8435, 
and Republic Act No. 7160 shall apply and Executive Order No. 111, Series of 1999 
that provided for the National Ecotourism Strategy shall likewise apply to all tourist 
zones and tourist development areas. 
Designated areas for tourism development shall become part of the CLUPs and ZOs 
of the cities or municipalities where these are located. 
SECTION 47. Identification and Preservation of Cultural Heritage. —1n accordance 
with Republic Act No. 10066 or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, the 
National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), the National Museum 
(NM), and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in 
coordination with other concerned agencies, local communities, and the private 
sector, shall identify and declare areas and structures which shall be protected and 
preserved as part of Philippine cultural heritage. The NHCP and the NM, in 
consultation with the NCCA and the HLURB, shall designate heritage zones to 
protect the historical and cultural integrity of a geographical area that is significant 
to national history. 
The LGUs, in consultation with the NHCP, the NM, and the NCCA, shall designate 
heritage zones to protect the historical and cultural integrity of geographical areas 
and cultural spaces of intangible cultural properties, which are significant to a city or 
municipality and the community. 
SECTION 48. Allocation and Use of Land for Infrastructure Development. — Land, 
whether public or private, shall be allocated and utilized for priority infrastructure 
projects that are supportive of national or local development objectives. The National 
Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), in consultation with the concerned 
national government agencies, LGUs, and the private sector, shall identify and 
periodically review, update and/or revise the list of priority infrastructure projects 
under an overall national strategic infrastructure development plan subject to the 
provisions of this Act, Republic Act No. 8435 and Republic Act No. 8371: Provided, 
That such national strategic infrastructure development plan shall be consistent and 
integrated in the objectives and directions of the NPFP. 
In determining and evaluating the list of priority infrastructure projects, 
consideration shall be given to those that: 


(a) Respond to immediate and vital requirements of the national and regional 
economy with priority to improving production-market integration, inter-modal 
transport, conveyance and logistics linkages, rural infrastructure and the 
development of the agriculture and fisheries sectors; 
(b) Upgrade existing facilities to international public safety standards; 
(c) Address the need for sustainable settlements development; and 
(d) Mitigate the destructive effects of natural disaster-causing phenomena or those 
that shall serve as alternatives to existing infrastructure found in natural hazard-
prone areas. 
Provided, That the provision and implementation of infrastructure support shall be 
made compatible with existing environmental conditions and the physical, whether 
natural or human-made, and cultural character of the area. Mandatory public 
consultations pursuant to existing laws and regulations shall be held prior to the 
conduct of all infrastructure projects that will necessarily involve dislocation or 
displacement of people in the area. 
Provided, further, That the proponent of the infrastructure project shall follow the rules 
on just and humane eviction or demolition under Section 28 of Republic Act No. 7279 
as a last resort, notwithstanding the provisions of Republic Act No. 8975, prohibiting 
lower courts from issuing temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions, or 
preliminary mandatory injunctions, and that the proponent shall follow provisions 
of Republic Act No. 8371, particularly those pertaining to the rights of ICCs/IPs in 
case of displacement. 
Provided, finally, That national government infrastructure projects shall provide 
budgetary allocations for the adequate relocation of displaced communities. 
SECTION 49. Infrastructure Projects Within Geo-hazard Areas. — Construction of 
priority infrastructure projects within hazard-prone areas shall be allowed: Provided, 
That mitigating and/or preventive measures are adopted and implemented to 
address the potential adverse economic, sociocultural, and environmental impacts 
that will emanate from these infrastructure projects, subject to the findings and 
recommendations of a feasibility study/EIA in accordance with Presidential Decree 


No. 1586 (EIS System) and Republic Act No. 4846 or the Cultural Properties 
Preservation and Protection Act.  
Existing projects that were undertaken without the required EJA and which pose a 
threat to the environment, or to the integrity of historic, archaeological, or 
scientifically significant areas, or impinge on critical ecosystems, may be terminated 
immediately, or gradually phased-out and relocated, or maintained within their life 
span subject, however, to mitigating measures: Provided, That the rules on mandatory 
public hearings/consultations and just and humane eviction or demolition shall also 
be observed prior to the termination, gradual phase-out, or relocation of projects that 
will necessarily involve dislocation or displacement of people in the area. 
SECTION 50. National Land Use Planning Process, — The physical framework and 
land use planning process shall be participatory, following a combined bottom-up 
and top-down approach, with mandatory public hearings/consultations conducted 
at all levels, and shall consider available and updated multidisciplinary scientific 
information of land uses. 
A set of national policy guidelines and standards for physical planning shall be 
formulated by the NLUPC. These shall guide the preparation and formulation of the 
NPFP, Regional and Provincial Physical Framework Plans (RPPFPs). 
These standards shall give due consideration to conflicting uses and areas being 
used, declared or designated for agrarian reform, protected areas, coastal resource 
management and/or ancestral domains. 
The NPFP shail define the national strategy and objectives of the country’s urban, 
rural and regional development. It shall guide the rational distribution of population, 
access to economic opportunities and social services, sustainable utilization of 
resources, and maintenance of environmental integrity.  
Furthermore, it shall consider the existing Regional Physical Framework Plans 
(RPFPs) and the Provincial Physical Framework Plans (PPFPs).  
The RPFPs, the PPFPs and the CLUPs, which cover the physical development of their 
respective territories, shall be consistent with the NPFP: Provided, That the integration 
and harmonization of physical framework plans at all levels shall be iterative to 


ensure that the concerns of both top and bottom levels of government are considered 
in the NPFP, the RPFPs, the PPFPs and the CLUPs. 
The physical framework and land use plans prepared at all levels shall be consistent 
with each other, specifically on the linkages of the major land use categories to ensure 
their complementation in the utilization, development and management of 
resources. The period of coverage of the national, regional and provincial framework 
plans shall be thirty (30) years with regular review and updating every ten (10) years. 
SECTION 51. The NPFP shall guide the planning and management of the country’s 
land and other physical resources at the national and sub-national levels, and indicate 
broad spatial directions and policy guidelines on protection land use, production 
land use, settlement development and infrastructure development. The NPFP shall 
be the basis for adopting the land use and physical planning-related 
guidelines,including zoning and other land use control standards that will guide the 
formulation of city/municipal ZOs.  
The NLUPC, in consultation with concerned sectors and communities shall update 
the NPFP after such period that objectives and goals set by the NPFP have been 
substantially achieved. It shall also formulate and issue the appropriate planning 
guidelines and standards through which all physical planning, land use and 
management of resources shall be reviewed, prepared, formulated and monitored. 
The resulting land use plan/physical framework shall be the basis for the 
identification, formulation and development of national and local development 
plans, programs, projects and activities of government at all levels. 
SECTION 52. Regional Physical Framework Plan (RPFP). – The RPFP shall provide 
broad spatial directions and policy guidelines on protection land use, production 
land use, settlement development, and infrastructure development at the regional 
level and guide the formulation of the PPFPs. The RPFP shall consider the existing 
PPFPs and the CLUPs of LGUs within the territorial jurisdiction of the region. 
The Regional Land Use Policy Council (RLUPC), created under Section 59 of this Act, 
shall formulate and periodically update the RPFP based on the guidelines issued by 
the NLUPC, in a manner consistent with and following the objective of the NPFP. 
Likewise, the Medium-Term Regional Development Plan (MTRDP) and the 


Medium-Term Regional Development Investment Program (MTRDIP) shall be 
guided by and made consistent with the objectives identified in the RPFP. 
SECTION 53. Provincial Physical Framework Plan (PPFP). — The PPFP shall 
determine the physical development of the entire provincial territory, consolidate 
and harmonize the comprehensive land use plans of component cities and 
municipalities, consistent with the RPFP. It shall reflect the indicative land use 
management and physical development direction of the province. 
Further, the PPFP shall serve as basis for other sectoral and development plans 
related to land, natural resources, and infrastructure facilities, including the 
development plan of the province; the reconciliation and rationalization of land use 
proposals among component cities and municipalities with the higher level 
framework plan; guiding development agencies and private developers, particularly 
those that undertake large-scale projects; and providing a basis for resolving conflicts 
arising from the implementation of land use plans and development projects 
involving two (2) or more municipalities. 
The PPFP shall serve as the basis for the preparation of the Provincial Development 
Plan (PDP) and the Provincial Development Investment Program (PDIP). The PPFP, 
the PDP, the PDIP and/or the Provincial Physical Framework and Development Plan 
(PPFDP) shall serve as the basis for the formulation of sectoral action plans of national 
government agencies in the province and all LGUs within its jurisdiction. The 
province may opt to prepare their PDP alongside the preparation of PPFP and 
consolidate them into a PPFDP: 
Provided, That PPFDP shall remain consistent with the PPFP: Provided, further, That 
any review or changes in the PPFP shall coincide with the overall! review process of 
the NPFP. The Provincial Land Use Planning and Management Board (PLUPMB) 
created under this Act shall ensure that the PPFP is consistent with the national and 
regional planning framework and guidelines issued by the NLUPC/RLUPC. The 
PPFP shall be presented to the Provincial Development Council (PDC) for 
endorsement to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, which shall formally adopt and 
approve the PPFP. The approved PPFP shall be submitted to the RLUPC for 
consolidation and integration into the RPFP.  
Under the general supervision of the PLUPMB, the Provincial Planning  
Development Coordinator/Office (PPDC/PPDO) shall provide technical, secretariat 


and administrative support in the preparation, consultation, integration and 
formulation process of the PPFP. 
SECTION 54. City and Municipal Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUPs). — All 
barangays shall provide their sectoral, temporal and spatial data for the CLUP which 
shall serve as the foundation for the formulation of the city/municipal CLUPs. The 
data shall be provided by the Sangguniang Pambarangay through stakeholder 
consultations. The CLUP shall determine the specific uses of land and other physical 
and natural resources, both private and public, within their territorial jurisdiction 
including areas comanaged with the national government and, as appropriate, 
management plans for ancestral domains, critical watersheds, river basins, and 
protected areas. 
The CLUP shall delineate actual boundaries on the ground within the territorial 
jurisdiction, embody the desired land use patterns of the barangay, city or 
municipality, translate and integrate sectoral plans, and provide appropriate policies 
for each of the four (4) land use planning categories. The spatial directions prescribed 
in the CLUP shall serve as the basis for the preparation and formulation of the 
Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) and Local Development Investment 
Program (LDIP) of the LGUs. 
Consistent with the national standards and guidelines prescribed in Section 50 of this 
Act, the cities and municipalities shall, in consultation with the concerned sectors, 
prepare their respective CLUPs. The City/Municipal Land Use Planning and 
Management Board (C/MLUPMB) created under this Act shall be responsible for the 
preparation and formulation of the CLUP and ensure its consistency with national 
and regional physical planning guidelines and standards. Under the general 
supervision of the respective C/MLUPMB, the City/Municipal Planning and 
Development Office/Coordinator (C/MPDO/C) shall provide technical, secretariat 
and administrative support in the preparation, consultation, integration and 
formulation process of the respective CLUPs of each city or municipality.  
The CLUPs shall be submitted by the city/municipal local development councils 
(LDCs) for adoption and approval of the Sangguniang Bayan (SB). The approved 
CLUPs shall be submitted to the province for integration into the PPFP. 
SECTION 55. Creation of the National Land Use Policy Council (NLUPC). - The 
National Land Use Committee (NLUC) under the NEDA Board (NB) is hereby 


abolished and in its stead, the NLUPC shall be created. It shall exercise the powers 
and responsibilities identified under this Act and assume the functions of the NEDA 
Board-National Land Use Committee (NB-NLUC), It shall further exercise the 
powers and functions pertaining to land use planning vested by law on the Housing 
and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB), except the following which shall remain 
as official functions of the HLURB: 
(a) Formulate land use planning guidelines in the preparation of the CLUPs and ZOs 
of LGUs to ensure compliance with the national policies, objectives, priorities and 
directions set by the NLUPC; 
(b) Provide technical and other forms of planning assistance to, including capacity- 
building for, LGUs and zoning boards; and 
(c) Act as the appellate body on decisions of local zoning bodies on locational 
clearance applications and/or oppositions thereto and other zoning issues involving 
private rights.  
The NLUPC shall act as the highest policy-making body on land use and shall resolve 
land use policy conflicts between or among agencies, branches, or levels of the 
government. It shall integrate efforts, and monitor developments relating to land use 
and the evolution of policies. 
SECTION 56. Priority Areas for Agricultural Development Within Ancestral 
Domain. — Composition of the NLUPC. — The NLUPC shall be headed by the 
Director General of the NEDA as Chairperson. It shall choose a Vice Chairperson 
from among the members of the Council, who shall assume the functions of the 
Chairperson in case of absence. The NLUPC shall meet at least once every quarter. 
The members of the Council shall be the following: 
(a) The Secretary of the DAR; 
(b) The Secretary of the DA; 
(c) The Secretary of the DENR; 


(d) The Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG); 
(e) The Chairperson of the NCIP; 
(f) The Chairperson of the HUDCC; 
(g) The Chief Executive Officer of the HLURB; 
(h) The Administrator of the NAMRIA; 
(i) The President of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP); 
(j) The President of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP); 
(k) Two (2) representatives each from four (4) basic sectors directly involved in land 
use, namely: urban poor, peasants, fisherfolk, and indigenous peoples who shall be 
appointed by the respective National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) sectoral 
councils. Of the eight (8) sectoral representatives, at least four (4) shall be women, 
provided that one of whom shall be from the Moro sector; 
(l) Four (4) representatives from the developers’ associations, the accredited 
associations of professionals dealing with land use such as, but not limited to, urban 
and regional planners, environmental planners, architects, geologists and geodetic 
engineers, the business or private sectors; and 
(m) The Head of the NLUPC Secretariat who shall be a nonvoting ex officio member. 
The members of the Council who are Cabinet Secretaries may designate their duly 
authorized and permanent representatives whose ranks shall in no case be lower than 
Undersecretary. 
SECTION 57. Powers and Functions of the NLUPC. — The NLUPC shall have the 
following powers and functions: 


(a) Guide the determination and identification of the country’s strategic land use 
development and physical planning objectives, priorities and direction, as well as 
recommend the adoption, passage, or amendment of laws to ensure that plans, 
programs, projects, and activities, including local government initiatives affecting 
land use are consistent with national development objectives;  
(b) Formulate the necessary national policy guidelines in the preparation of the 
country’s physical framework plans, including the setting of limits/target key land 
uses needed for protection, production, settlements and infrastructure for present 
and future needs; 
(c) Ensure that policies, guidelines and standards on land use and physical planning, 
including zoning, shall be followed by the RLUPC, iocal land use boards and 
concerned national agencies, and that the RPFP, the PPFP and the CLUPs shall be 
consistent with the NPFP: 
(d) Ensure the consistency of other national development and sectoral plans and 
programs, including the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) and 
Public Investment Program (PIP), with the NPFP; 
(e) Integrate and harmonize all laws and policies relevant to land use 1n order to 
come up with a rational, cohesive, and comprehensive national land use framework, 
and if warranted, recommend to Congress the adoption, passage or amendment of 
laws to ensure that sectoral plans, projects and activities, including local government 
initiatives affecting land use are consistent with national development objectives; 
(f) Resolve policy conflicts on land uses between or among agencies, branches, or 
levels of government and unresolved land use policy conflicts at the regional level; 
(g) Issue locational clearances for projects of national significance; 
(h) Call on any department, bureau, office, agency, or instrumentality of the 
government and or private entities and organizations for cooperation, support, and 
assistance in the performance of its functions; 
(i) Review the NPFP every ten (10) years; 


(j) Advise the President of the Philippines and the NEDA Board on all matters 
concerning land use and physical planning; 
(k) Adopt rules of procedures for the orderly and expeditious conduct of meetings 
and other business of the Council; and 
(1) Perform such other acts and functions and exercise such other powers as may be 
necessarily implied, inherent, incidental, or related to the foregoing. 
SECTION 58. NLUPC Secretariat. — The existing unit of the NEDA in charge of 
Land Use and Physical Planning Division shall act as the NLUPC Secretariat which 
shall perform functions such as, but not limited to, managing information, gathering 
of data, coordinate the monitoring of government agencies and LGUs, ensuring 
multi-stakeholder participation towards formation of local land use policy boards, 
sharing of database and mapping systems, and reinforcing relevant assessment tools 
and capability-building programs. 
SECTION 59. Regional Land Use Policy Council (RLUPC). — At the _ regional level, 
the Regional Land Use Committee (RLUC) is hereby abolished and in its stead, the 
RLUPC shall be created. The RLUPC shall be institutionalized, replicating the 
NLUPC structure and composition. It shall be chaired by the NEDA Regional 
Director and shall exercise the following functions: 
(a) Formulate regional policies and guidelines which are consistent with the national 
planning guidelines issued by the NLUPC in the preparation and formulation of the 
respective provincial physical planning and CLUPs of LGUs within its jurisdiction; 
(b) Prepare and periodically update the RPFP, taking into consideration national 
policies and lower level plans; 
(c) Review, prior to adoption by respective Sanggunians, the PPFPs and the CLUPs 
of highly urbanized and independent component cities to ensure consistency with 
the RPFP and national policies set forth by the NLUPC; 
(d) Decide and resolve policy conflicts on land use planning, classification, and 
allocation that may arise between or among regional line agencies, provinces and 
cities/municipalities; 


(e) Monitor changes in land use and other physical resources in the region; 
(f) Coordinate and monitor the land use activities of regional line agencies and LGUs; 
(g) Evaluate consistency of major programs and projects of regional agencies and 
entities with the RPFP and their impact on land use and the environment; and  
(h) Perform other related functions as may be directed by the NLUPC.  
In forest land use management, where the watershed area/continuum covers several 
municipalities across different provinces, an inter-LGU task force composed of 
representatives from the RLUPC and the concerned municipal LGUs where the 
watershed area is located shall be formed. With the assistance of the DENR and upon 
mandatory consultations with the concerned sectors, the inter-LGU task force shall 
formulate the Watershed Management Plan for the said watershed area. 
SECTION 60. Provincial Land Use Planning and Management Board (PLUPMB). — 
The Provincial Land Use Committee (PLUC) is hereby abolished. The Provincial 
Land Use Planning and Management Board or PLUPMB is created in all provinces 
under this Act to oversee the preparation, integration, adoption and approval of the 
PPFP and shall ensure its consistency with approved national and regional! planning 
guidelines. The PLUPMB shall also be directly responsible for the effective 
management and implementation of the approved PPFP and ensure that any existing 
and future development initiatives, programs and projects introduced within its 
jurisdiction are consistent with and supportive of the land use resource management 
and physical planning objectives, directions and character identified in the approved 
PPFP. 
SECTION 61. Powers and Responsibilities of the Provincial Land Use Planning and 
Management Board. — The following are the powers and responsibilities of the 
PLUPMB: 
(a) Formulate necessary provincial planning guidelines and/or implementing 
policies for the preparation and formulation of the respective CLUPs within its 
jurisdiction consistent with approved national and regional planning policies and 
guidelines; 


(b) Submit to the PDC the draft CLUP for its transmission to the Sangguniang 
Panlalawigan and for the PDC to use it as reference for consistency and 
complementation with other development plans;  
(c) Review, monitor and assess the implementation and operationalization of the 
approved CLUP and its consistency with physical planning and land use 
management objectives and goals identified in the CLUP; 
(d) After an appropriate period of time or upon instruction and advice by the 
NLUPC, conduct and initiate a progress review of the PPFP and the achievement of 
its stated objectives and goals and update the PPFP; 
(e) Decide and resolve policy conflicts on land use planning, classification, and 
allocation that may arise between or among cities/municipalities and facilitate the 
resolution of any unresolved land use conflict, including political boundary conflicts, 
at the city/municipality level; 
(f) Advise the Sangguniang Panlalawigan on all matters pertaining to land use and 
physical planning; 
(g) Promote cooperation and sharing of resources between and among component 
LGUs of the province or with neighboring LGUs to address common land use and 
development issues including those related to geo-physical hazards, watershed and 
river basin management, coastal and marine waters, climate change impact and 
disaster risks; and  
(h) Assist the Sangguniang Panlalawigan in reviewing the submitted CLUPs of 
component cities/municipalities to ensure consistency with the PPFP. In cases where 
the watershed areas transcend the boundaries of a particular municipality, an inter-
LGU task force composed of representatives from the PLUPMB of the municipal 
LGUs where the watershed area is located shall be formed. 
SECTION 62. Composition of the PLUPMB. —The PLUPMB shall be composed of 
the following fifteen (15) members to be selected based on the rules to be formulated 
by the NLUPC as provided in this Act: 
(a) The Provincial Planning and Development Coordinator (PPDC); 


(b) The Chairperson of Sangguniang Panlalawigan Committee on Environment and 
Natural Resources; 
(c) The Provincial Chapter President-League of Municipalities and/or League of 
Cities; 
(d) The Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer (PARO); 
(e) The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO); 
(f) The Provincial Agricultural Officer (PAO); 
(g) The NCIP Provincial Officer; 
(h) The HLURB Regional Officer; 
(i) Three (3) representatives from the local business or private sector; the developers’ 
association and accredited associations of professionals dealing with land use such 
as, but not limited to, urban and regional planners, environmental planners, 
architects, geologists, geodetic engineers, and chamber of commerce, who shall be 
appointed from among the accredited organizations within their respective 
development councils; 
(j) Four (4) representatives from the basic sector groups (urban poor, fisherfolk, 
farmers, indigenous peoples): Provided, That at least two (2) representatives shall be 
women: Provided, further, That the representatives shall be appointed from among the 
accredited organizations within their respective development councils: Provided, 
finally, That in predominantly Muslim areas, one shall be from the Moro sector; and 
(k) The designated Board Chairperson to be chosen among the members. 
Except for ex officio members, the members of the PLUPMB shall be appointed for a 
term of three (3) years, subject however to the elected office held, government 
employment and/or official designation of the LGU, national agency and/or local 
business/private sector association or basic sector group representation in the Board. 
The NLUPC, within ninety (90) days from its establishment, shall formulate the rules 


for the selection of the Chairperson and the members of the PLUPMB.- The Provincial 
Planning and Development Coordinator/Office (PPDC/PPDO) shall provide 
technical secretariat and administrative support and resources for the effective 
operation of the PLUPMB. 
Aside from the PPDO, the PLUPMB may call upon other local and national 
government offices and agencies such as the local Engineer, Assessor, and local field 
representatives of the DA, the DPWH, the DOTr, the DOT, the DENR, the DAR, the 
DepED, the NCIP and other concerned national agencies to assist the PLUPMB in the 
performance of its roles and mandates. 
The appropriations for the regular operation and activities of the PLUPMB shall be 
included in the annual budget proposal of the PPDO: Provided, That other funds and 
resources, including grants, applicable service fees and charges collected, 
contributions, donations, and other funds to support its operations and activities may 
be accepted and received by the PLUPMB subject to existing auditing and reporting 
procedures. 
SECTION 63. City/Municipal Land Use Planning and Management Board 
(C/MLUPMR). — A City/Municipal Land Use Planning and Management Board or 
C/MLUPMB is hereby created under this Act in all municipalities and cities, 
including highly urbanized and component cities, to oversee the preparation, 
integration, adoption and approval of their respective CLUPs. It shall issue a 
Certificate of Compliance prior to the submission of the CLUP to the Sanggunian to 
ensure the consistency of such plans with approved national, regional and provincial 
planning guidelines. The C/MLUPMB shall also be directly responsible for the 
effective management and implementation of the approved CLUP and for ensuring 
that existing and future local policies, including ZOs, development initiatives, 
programs and projects introduced within its jurisdiction are consistent with and 
supportive of the land use resource management and physical planning objectives, 
directions and character identified by the approved CLUP. 
SECTION 64. Powers and Responsibilities of the City/Municipal Land Use Planning 
and Management Board. — The C/MLUPMB shall exercise the following powers 
and functions: 
(a) Ensure the inclusion of the input of the barangays within the jurisdiction of the 
respective city/municipality on sectoral, temporal and spatial dimensions of the plan 


and its consistency with approved national, regional and provincial planning 
guidelines; 
(b)Review, monitor and assess the implementation and operationalization of the 
approved CLUP and its consistency with physical planning and land use 
management objectives and goals identified in the CLUP; 
(c) Issue a Certificate of Compliance to the Sanggunian as proof that the CLUP ts 
compliant with national land use policies, guidelines and standards; 
(d) Submit to the LDC the draft CLUP for its transmission to the Sanggunian and for 
the LDC to use it as basis for consistency and complementation with other 
development plans; 
(e) Decide and resolve policy conflicts on land use planning, classification,  allocation 
that may arise between or among barangays and facilitate the resolution of any 
unresolved land use conflict, including boundary conflicts, involving barangays; 
(f) Based on the CLUP, review and endorse for approval/disapproval applications 
for locational clearances, building and zoning permits and/or other planning-related 
requirement for any project, both private and public, that is submitted to the LGU for 
issuance; 
(g) Advise the Sangguniang Bayan on all matters pertaining to land use and physical 
planning; and 
(h) Promote cooperation and sharing of resources between and among its barangays 
and neighboring LGUs to address common land use and development issues 
including those related to geo-physical hazards, watershed and river basins, coastal 
and marine waters, climate change impact and disaster risks. 
SECTION 65. Composition of the C/MLUPMB. — The C/MLUPMB shall be 
composed of the following thirteen (13) members and shall be headed by a 
Chairperson: 
(a) The City/Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator (C/MPDC); 


(b) The Chairperson, Sangguniang Bayan Committee on Environment and Natural 
Resources; 
(c) The President of the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC), 
(d) The Municipal Agrarian Reform Officer (MARO); 
(e) The LGU Environment and Natural Resources Officer (City/Municipal ENRO); 
(f) The Municipal Agriculture Officer (MAO); 
(g) Three (3) representatives from the local business/private sector, the developers’ 
associations, and the accredited associations of professionals dealing with land use 
such as, but not limited to, urban and regional planners, environmental planners, 
architects, geologists and geodetic engineers, and chamber of commerce, who shall 
be appointed from among the accredited organizations within their  development 
councils; 
(h) Four (4) representatives from the basic sector groups (urban poor, fisherfolk, 
farmers and indigenous peoples): Provided, That at least two (2) representatives shall 
be women: Provided, further, That the representatives shall be appointed from among 
the accredited organizations within their respective development councils: Provided, 
finally, That in predominantly Muslim areas, one shall be from the Moro sector; and 
(i) The designated Board Chairperson to be chosen among the members. 
Except for ex officio members, the members of the C/MLUPMB shall be appointed to a 
term of three (3) years, subject however to the elected office held, government 
employment and/or official designation in the LGU, national agency and/or local 
business/private sector association or basic sector group representation in the Board. 
The NLUPC, within ninety (90) days from its establishment, shall formulate the rules 
for the selection of the Chairperson and members of the C/MLUPMB. The 
City/Municipal Planning and Development Office/Coordinator (C/MPDO/C) shall 
provide technical secretariat and administrative support and resources for the 
effective operation of the C/MLUPMB.  


Aside from the C/MPDO/C, the C/MLUPMB may call upon other local and national 
government offices and agencies such as the local Engineer, Assessor, and local field 
representatives of the DA, the DPWH, the DOTr, the DOT, the DENR, the DAR, the 
DepED and other concerned national agencies to assist the C/MLUPMB in the 
performance of its roles and mandates.  
The annual appropriations for the operation and activities of the C/MLUPMB shall 
be included in the annual budget proposal of the C/MPDO/C: Provided, That other 
funds and resources, including grants, applicable service fees and charges collected, 
contributions, donations, and other funds to support its operations and activities may 
be accepted and received by the PLUPMB subject to existing auditing and reporting 
procedures.  
LGUs shall create and/or activate their respective C/MLUPMB upon guidelines 
issued by the NLUPC for such purposes, not later than six (6) months from the 
effectivity of this Act. 
SECTION 66. Approval and Review of PPF P and CLUPs.— The PPFP and CLUPs 
of the respective city/municipal LGUs, including highly urbanized cities and 
independent component cities shall be submitted by the local land use boards to the 
LDCs for transmission to the local Sanggunian for approval. 
SECTION 67. Approval of RPFP and NPFP. — The RPFP and NPFP shall be 
submitted for review and approval of the RLUPC and NLUPC, respectively, upon 
the conduct of appropriate stakeholder and agency consultations: Provided, That such 
processes and guidelines shall be prepared and issued by the NLUPC within six (6) 
months from the effectivity of this Act. 
SECTION 68. National Mapping and Spatial Data Infrastructure Program 
(NMSDIP). A national mapping program shall be implemented, coordinated and 
monitored by the Interagency Technical Committee (ITC) which is hereby created. It 
shall be composed of the NAMRIA as the lead agency, the BSWM, the Forest 
Management Bureau (FMB), the LMB, the Land Registration Authority (LRA), the 
Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB), the MGB, the Philippine Institute of 
Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the DAR, the DA, the NCIP, the National 
Water Resources Board (NWRB), the DOE, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and 
Management Council (NDRRMC), the NEDA, and other concerned government 
agencies. The ITC shall be constituted, and the mapping and spatial data 


infrastructure program shall be initiated within thirty (30) days from the effectivity 
of this Act. The program shall be responsible for the production of base and decision 
maps and associated spatial databases for all planning levels based on the guidelines 
of the NLUPC.  
Under the program, all government stakeholders concerned in the production of 
maps of various themes shall collaboratively formulate the government’s spatial data 
infrastructure master plan and respective government agency/stakeholders’ spatial 
data infrastructure plans which shall be the basis for subsequent funding and 
eventual project implementation and/or operation.  
All pertinent and updated thematic maps/data from supporting agencies of the 
program shall be submitted to the NAMRIA for compilation and integration into a 
national geospatial database established under the program.  
The NAMRIA shall finish its base mapping program within two (2) years upon the 
effectivity of this Act and provide updates thereof to support the implementation of 
the spatial data infrastructure program.  
The spatial and nonspatial data generated by these activities shall be transmitted to 
the LGU as soon as practicable. Existing land information data available to the 
national government agencies as of the effectivity of this Act shall be immediately 
transmitted to the LGUs.  
For purposes of uniformity and standardization, the LGUs, assisted by the 
appropriate agencies of the national government, shall likewise prepare their 
respective maps using scales, symbols, and other indicators to be prescribed in 
accordance with this Act. The completed maps shall be integrated in the NPFP 
pursuant to Section 51 of this Act. 
SECTION 69. Maps for Planning. — Within one (1) year after the NLUPC’s approval 
of the Guidelines and Standards for planning at all levels, available NAMRIA maps 
and all maps made available to NAMRIA by supporting agencies shall be submitted 
to the NLUPC for national, provincial, cities and municipalities planning. The 
NLUPC shall forward these maps to the respective PLUPMBs and C/MLUPMBs 
after it has reviewed and approved them. Pertinent maps to be produced through the 
NMSDIP shall include, among others: 


(a) Topographic Maps; 
(b) Geologic Maps; 
(c) Hydrologic Maps; 
(d) Climate Maps; 
(e) Soils Maps; 
(f) Slope Maps; 
(g) Mineral Resource Maps; 
(h) Existing Land Use Maps; 
(i) Land Suitability Maps for: 
(1) Settlements; 
(2) Agriculture; 
(3) Industrial areas; and 
(4) Others. 
(j) Agricultural Maps: 
(1) Network of Protected Areas for Agricultural and Agro-industrial Development; 
(2) Commodity Specific Development Guide Maps; 
(3) Land Limitation Maps; 


(4) Cropping System Zones Maps; 
(5) Hydro-ecological Conditions Map; and 
(6) Irrigation Systems Maps. 
(k) Land Classification Maps; 
(1) Municipal Waters Delineation Maps and MPAs; | 
(m) Geo-Hazard Maps: 
(1) Flood-Prone Areas; 
(2) Hazard Zonation Maps for Volcanoes; 
(3) Map of Fault Systems; 
(4) Tsunami-Prone Areas; and 
(5) Erosion Prone Areas. 
(n) Tourism Maps; 
(o) Transportation Maps; 
(p) Traffic Flow; 
(q) Maps Designating Areas Served by: 
(1) Power; 
(2) Telecommunications; and 


(3) Water. 
(r) Maps indicating the following facilities: 
(1) Health; 
(2) Education; and : 
(3) Power. 
(s) Domestic Water Supply; 
(t) Industrial Areas; 
(u) Population Distribution Map; 
(v) Ancestral Domain Map; 
(w) NIPAS Areas; 
(x) Areas Suitable for Urban Expansion; 
(y) Watershed Areas; and 
(z) Forest Lands: 
(1) Protection Areas; 
(2) Production Areas; and 
(3) Restoration Areas: 
(i) Key Biodiversity Areas; and 


(ii) Marine Protected Areas. 
SECTION 70. Ground Delineation of the Country’s Permanent Forest Line. — 
Pursuant to the Constitution and as provided under this Act, the final determination 
and ground delineation of the country’s permanent forest line shall be completed 
within one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act: Provided, That appropriations for 
the fulfillment of this provision shall be included in the annual appropriations of the 
DENR: Provided, further, That the complete report on the delineation of the country’s 
permanent forest line shall be submitted to the NLUPC for appropriate integration 
in the country’s strategic land use development plan and policies. 
SECTION 71. Completion and Updating of Existing Cadastral Surveys. — The 
completion of incomplete cadastral surveys of LGUs and the updating of existing 
surveys shall be given priority consideration and allocation of resources in the 
implementation of this Act. The DENR shall include in its annual appropriations the 
completion and updating of all incomplete and existing cadastral surveys of all LGUs 
in the country: Provided, That such surveys and maps shall be integrated into the 
National Spatial Database Information and Mapping System. 
In cases of ancestral domains, self-delineation by ICCs/IPs of their ancestral lands 
shall be employed to determine boundaries as provided for under Republic Act No. 
8371. 
 
SECTION 72. Ground Delineation of Land Use. — For effective planning to take 
place at the local level and for easy enforcement of the ZO of each city/municipality, 
land uses must be identifiable both on the map and on the ground. A Joint Committee 
comprised of the LGU, as represented by its C/MLUPMB, and of the national 
government agency concerned, to be assisted by the C/MPDC, shall identify and 
delineate on the ground the land uses within their jurisdiction. The following shall 
be given priority: 
(a) Forest Lands: 
(1)Protection; and 


(2)Production. 
(b) Ancestral Domains: 
(c) NIPAS Areas: 
(1)Strict Protection Zone; and 
(2)Multiple Use Zone. 
(d) Watershed Areas: 
(1)Cnitical; and 
(2)Multiple Use. 
(e) Network of Protected Areas for Agricultural and Agro-industrial Development 
(NPAAAD); 
(f) Socialized Housing Sites and Settlement Expansion Areas; 
(g) Extents of Environmentally Constrained Areas; 
(h) Easement Areas; 
(i) Critical coastal areas: 
(1)Mangroves; and 
(2)Sea grass. 
Critical marine resources shall also be delineated both on the map and in the waters. 


Perimeters of critical offshore areas, such as coral reefs, shall be marked in accordance 
with the coastal resource management plans concerned. 
All maps shall be updated as new important information and data become available 
or as determined by urgent need. Updating of maps shall be undertaken not more 
often than every ten (10) years. 
SECTION 73. National Geo-hazard Mapping Program. — Within thirty (30) days 
from the effectivity of this Act, a nationwide geo-hazard mapping program shall be 
initiated jointly through the NLUPC by the PHIVOLCS, the Philippine Atmospheric 
Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the NAMRIA, 
the MGB, and the DOE, in coordination with the NDRRMC, the Regional Disaster 
Risk Reduction and Management Councils, and other concerned government 
agencies. The program shall include the generation of indicative geo-hazard zoning 
maps that will outline areas in the Philippines which are prone to liquefaction, 
landslides, flooding, lahar, ground rupturing, tsunami, river erosion, coastal erosion, 
sinkhole collapse, earthquake, Java flow, pyroclastic flow, base surge, and other 
natural hazards. 
For purposes of uniformity and standardization and in order to develop a safe-built 
environment, the LGUs shall subsequently incorporate and integrate the generated 
geo-hazard zoning maps into their respective CLUPs and ZOs. Said geo-hazard maps 
shall serve as guide for all the LGUs in the preparation of their own hazards-
constrained development plans. The NPFP shall incorporate these geo-hazard maps. 
All entities conducting infrastructure activities including real estate and subdivision 
projects and the development of tourist spots requiring an ECC shall submit an 
Engineering Geological and Geo-hazard Assessment Report (EGGAR). 
SECTION 74. Scope and Nature of Responsibilities of Other National Government 
Agencies. — All concerned national government agencies/bodies shall periodically 
report to the NLUPC on the various activities and accomplishments on land use. 
Likewise, they shall provide their respective sectoral/development plans and 
provide technical and administrative support if called upon by the NLUPC for the 
implementation of the provisions of this Act. 
SECTION 75. Submission of Annual Report on the Implementation of CLUPs and 
ZOs. The local land use boards shall submit their annual report on the 


implementation of their land use plans to their respective Sanggunian which shal! 
submit the same to the RLUPCs for consolidation. The RLUPC shall thereafter 
transmit the consolidated reports to the NLUPC for monitoring and evaluation. 
SECTION 76. Values Formation. — In order to develop a well-informed, responsible 
and committed citizenry who value the protection, conservation and development of 
the country’s limited land, and other physical resources, the State shall mandate the 
inclusion of sustainable land use education or any subject related thereto in the 
curricula of primary, secondary and tertiary education. 
SECTION 77. Information/Education Campaign and Capacity-Building. — The 
NLUPC shall undertake a nationwide information/education campaign on land use 
and physical planning to be implemented by local and national government agencies. 
The DILG and concerned agencies shall formulate and implement a land use 
management capability-building program for national and local government 
officials, community leaders, representatives of NGOs, POs, the religious sector, and 
the general public. 
SECTION 78. Formulation of a System of Incentives and Awards. —- The NLUPC 
shall come up with a system of incentives and awards to LGUs that regularly update 
their CLUPs/ZOs once every eight (8) years. 
SECTION 79. Priority in Giving Technical Assistance to LGUs. — In providing 
technical assistance and other forms of support related to land use management and 
implementation of development plans, national government agencies shall give 
priority to cities and municipalities with approved CLUPs and ZOs. 
SECTION 80. Fine for Failure to Commence or Complete the Development of 
Agricultural Lands With Approved Conversion Order. — For agricultural lands with 
approved conversion orders, the provisions of Republic Act No. 6657 (CARL), as 
amended by Republic Act No. 9700, shall apply. A landowner and/or the designated 
developer or duly authorized representative who fail to commence and/or complete 
the development plan defined in the conversion order shall be jointly and severally 
penalized. The following fines based on the zonal value or the fair market value of 
the land, whichever is higher, at the time the fine shall be imposed:  
(a) Failure to commence within three (3) years from the date of the conversion order: 


(1) Three percent (3%) for the first three (3) hectares; 
(2) Ten percent (10%) for the next three (3) hectares; and 
(3) Fifteen percent (15%) for the remaining area. 
In such case, the order of conversion shall be revoked by operation of law. The land 
shall revert to its original use as agricultural land and may be covered by the DAR 
through compulsory acquisition for distribution to qualified beneficiaries. 
(b) Failure to complete sixty percent (60%) of the approved conversion plan within a 
specified time frame shall result to the automatic revocation by the DAR of the 
conversion plan on the undeveloped portion. The land shall be reverted to its original 
use as agricultural land and may be covered under the CARP for land distribution. 
SECTION 81. Persons Abetting Illegal Conversion. — Any person initiating, causing, 
23 inducing, or abetting illegal conversion with intent shall be punished with 
imprisonment or a fine in accordance with Act No. 3815 or Republic Act No. 3019, or 
both, at the discretion of the court.  
If the offender is a public official or employee, whether elected or appointed, the 
penalty shall also include dismissal from service, forfeiture of all benefits and 
entitlements accruing to the public position, and perpetual disqualification to run or 
apply for any elective or appointive public office. 
If the offender is a juridical person, the penalty of imprisonment shall be imposed on 
the president, chief executive officer, manager, chairperson and all the members of 
the Board, and other responsible officers thereof. The imposable fine shall be 
equivalent to the zonal value of the land or forty percent (40%) of the shareholders’ 
equity, whichever is higher. Furthermore, the land shall be forfeited in favor of the 
State and sold through public auction. The proceeds of the sale shall automatically 
accrue to the Agrarian Reform Fund. 
SECTION 82. Penalty for Reclassification of Protected Agricultural Lands and 
Exceeding the Limit of Areas Allowed for Reclassification. — Any person initiating, 


causing, inducing, or abetting the reclassification to nonagricultural uses of protected 
agricultural areas as defined in Section 13 hereof shall be penalized with 
imprisonment of twelve (12) years or a fine of not less than one hundred thousand 
pesos (P100,000.00), or both, at the discretion of the court. 
If the offender is a public official or employee, whether elected or appointed, the 
penalty shall also include dismissal from service, forfeiture of entitlements accruing 
to the public position, and perpetual disqualification to run or apply for any elective 
or appointive public position. 
If the offender is a juridical person, the penalty shall be imposed on the president, 
chief executive officer, manager, chairperson and all the members of the Board, and 
other responsible officers thereof. 
The same penalty shall be applicable to persons who will be responsible for 
exceeding the limits set forth under Section 20 of the Local Government Code 
pertaining to reclassification of lands. 
SECTION 83. Payment of Disturbance Compensation. — Following the order of 
priority stated in Section 22 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended by Republic Act 
No. 9700, agricultural lessees and share tenants, regular farmworkers, seasonal 
farmworkers, other farmworkers, actual tillers or occupants of public lands, 
collective, or cooperative of  above beneficiaries, and others directly working on the 
land affected by agricultural land use conversion, shall be entitled to the payment of 
disturbance compensation equivalent to five (5) times the average of the gross 
harvests on the landholding during the preceding five (5) calendar years or a certain 
percentage of the converted land, whichever is higher, as determined by the DAR. 
SECTION 84. Authority to Impose Fine. — The DAR shall have the authority to 
impose the fines provided under Sections 80, 81, 82 and 83 of this Act. 
SECTION 85. Withdrawal of Local Development Permits and/or Licenses. — Upon 
receipt of notice from the DAR, the concerned agencies, cities or municipalities shall 
withdraw and/or revoke any development permit and/or other licenses that may be 
necessary to develop the agricultural land subject of conversion. 


SECTION 86. Utilization of Fines. — The fines collected under Section 84 hereof shall 
automatically accrue to the Agrarian Reform Fund consistent with the provision of 
the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law. 
SECTION 87. Failure to Formulate, Implement and/or Enforce the CLUPs and 
Zoning Ordinances (ZOs). — Consistent with due process, the NLUPC, in 
coordination with the DILG, shall evaluate, review, and recommend the filing of 
charges against local chief executives and other local officials and employees 
responsible for the formulation, implementation and/or enforcement of the CLUPs 
for the following acts: 
(a) Failure of the CLUPs/ZOs to conform to the guidelines provided in the NPFP; 
(b) Failure to complete the preparation of the CLUP despite the availability of funds, 
resources, and support by the Sanggunian concerned; 
(c) Failure to provide appropriate budgetary allocation to effect its implementation; 
and 
(d) Failure to implement and enforce the CLUP/ZO due to negligence of duty. 
Any public official or employee, whether elected, appointed or holding 
office/employment in a casual, temporary, holdover, permanent, or regular capacity, 
found to be responsible for any of the foregoing acts, shall be punished with forfeiture 
of salaries and allowances, and suspension from:  
(1) Three (3) to six (6) months, in case of noncompletion of the CLUP; or 
(2) Three (3) to six (6) months, 1n case of nonconformity with the NPFP; or 
(3) Six (6) to nine (9) months, in case of nonimplementation of the CLUP. 
Failure to comply with the provisions of Republic Act No. 8371 on the formulation of 
CLUP shall be penalized according to Section 72 of Republic Act No. 8371. 


SECTION 88. Illegal Conversion of City or Municipal Parks, Communal Forests, and 
Tree Parks in Subdivisions. — Penalties in the amount of one hundred thousand 
pesos (P100,000.00) to five hundred thousand pesos (P500,000.00), or imprisonment 
of six (6) years and one (1) day to twelve (12) years, or both, at the discretion of the 
court, shall be imposed for each of the following offenses: 
(a) Illegally converting or causing the conversion of a city/municipal park, 
communal forest, or tree parks within subdivisions established pursuant to 
Presidential Decree No. 953, requiring the planting of trees in certain places, into 
other uses including the construction of permanent buildings;  
(b) Destroying or causing damage to the timberlands and other forest products found 
in the abovementioned forest and parks; 
(c) Setting the abovementioned forest and parks on fire, or negligently permitting a 
fire to be set therein; and 
(d) Assisting, aiding or abetting another person to commit the offenses stated in this 
section. 
The offender shall likewise be imposed a fine equivalent to eight (8) times the 
commercial value of the forest products destroyed without prejudice to payment of 
the full cost of rehabilitation of the areas as determined by the DENR. 
The maximum penalty prescribed shall be imposed upon the offender who repeats 
the same offense, and double the maximum penalty upon the offender who commits 
the same offense for the third time or more. 
All improvements made therein, as well as all vehicles, domestic animals, and 
equipment of any kind used in the commission of the offense shall be forfeited in 
favor of the government. 
If not suitable for use by the DENR, said improvements, vehicles, domestic animals 
and equipment shall be sold at public auction, the proceeds from which shall accrue 
to the Forest Conservation and Development Fund (FCDF). 


SECTION 89. Mandatory Review Every Ten (10) Years. — The Congress shall 
undertake a mandatory review of this Act at least once every ten (10) years from its 
effectivity or as often as it may be deemed necessary to ensure that land use policies 
and guidelines remain responsive to changing circumstances.  
For this purpose, the Congress may call upon the NLUPC to undertake the necessary 
researches and consultations. 
SECTION 90. Convening of the NLUPC, — Within thirty (30) days from the 
effectivity of this Act, the Chairperson shall convene the NLUPC and the Head of the 
NLUPC Secretariat shall immediately assume office. 
SECTION 91. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within ninety (90) days from 
the effectivity of this Act, the NLUPC shall promulgate its implementing rules and 
regulations (IRR) including the rules on the selection of the members of the 
C/MLUPMB and the PLUPMB. It shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its complete 
publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of national 
circulation. 
SECTION 92. Transfer of Powers and Functions. — The functions of the HLURB on 
land use planning as provided for under Sections 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, and 5f of Executive 
Order No. 648, Series of 1991; and Executive Order No. 72, Series of 1993, shall be 
immediately transferred to the NLUPC and its appropriate subnational LGU 
structures, except as provided in Section 55 hereof. Nothing in this Act shall be 
construed to transfer or limit functions embraced within the said provisions that 
pertain to or relate to HLURB non-planning functions. 
 
SECTION 93. Review of Existing Land Use Plans. — Provinces, cities, and 
municipalities with existing land use plans shall review, revise, reconcile, and 
harmonize the same with the guidelines and standards issued by the NLUPC within 
one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act. 
SECTION 94. Access to Information. — Access to records and documents pertaining 
to official acts, transactions, or decisions as well as to data used as basis for policy 
development by the NLUPC shall be made available to the public. 


SECTION 95. Appropriations. — The amount needed for the initial implementation 
of this Act shall be charged against the current year’s appropriations of the NEDA 
Board- National Land Use Committee (NB-NLUC). Thereafter, such sums as may be 
necessary for the continued implementation of this Act shall be included in the 
annual General Appropriations Act. 
SECTION 96. Congressional Oversight Committee on the Land Use Act. — A 
Congressional Oversight Committee on the Land Use Act shall be created. It shall be 
composed of seven (7) members from the Senate and seven (7) members from the 
House of Representatives. The Members from the Senate shall be appointed by the 
Senate President based on proportional representation of the parties or coalitions 
therein, with at least two (2) Senators representing the minority. The Members from 
the House of Representatives shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives, also based on proportional representation of the parties or coalitions 
therein, with at least two (2) Members representing the minority.  
The Oversight Committee shall function for a period of not more than three (3) years 
to oversee the implementation of this Act. The secretariat of the Oversight Committee 
shall be drawn from the existing secretariat personnel of the committee comprising 
the oversight. 
SECTION 97. Non-impairment Clause. — Nothing in this Act shall be construed as 
to diminish or, impair rights recognized, granted, or available to marginalized or the 
basic sectors under existing laws including, but not limited to, Republic Acts 
Numbered 7279 and 6657, as amended by Republic Acts Numbered 7942, 8371, 8550 
and 9700. 
SECTION 98. Repealing Clause. — Section 10 of Republic Act No. 8435 and Sections 
447 (a2vii) and 458 (a2viii) of Republic Act No. 7160 and related laws and 
administrative issuances are hereby modified by Section 13 hereof. The pertinent 
provisions of Executive Order No. 648; Executive Order No. 72, Series of 1993; and 
Executive Order No. 770, Series of 2008, amending Letter of Instruction (LOI) No. 
1350, are also modified accordingly. Section 11 of Republic Act No. 8435 as to the 
penalty for agricultural inactivity and premature conversion is also modified by 
Section 83 hereof. LOI No. 1350, Series of 1983; Presidential Proclamation No. 2282, 
Series of 1983; and all other general and special laws, acts, decrees, executive —_ 
orders, proclamations and administrative regulations, or any part thereof which are 
inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. All republic 


acts, executive orders, rules and regulations, and other issuances or parts thereof 
which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or 
amended accordingly. 
SECTION 99. Separability Clause. - If, for any reason, any section or provision of this 
Act is declared unconstitutional or invalid, the other sections or provisions not 
affected thereby shall remain in full force and effect. 
SECTION 100. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the 
Official Gazette or in at least two (2) national newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved.