TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
First Regular Session 
)
SENATE 
Senate Bill No. -152
^5 JUL-7 A 8:59
Introduced by Senator Erwin Tulfo
AN ACT
INSTITUTING A NATIONAL LAND USE POLICY, 
PROVIDING MECHANISMS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The Philippines is an archipelago rich in natural resources yet 
vulnerable to climate change, urban congestion, and unregulated 
development particularly when it comes to rationalizing land use and 
addressing competing demands on our finite land resources.
The absence of a comprehensive framework on land use and 
planning has led to fragmented policies and land use decisions that are 
often driven by short-term gains rather than long-term national 
development goals. This has resulted in prime agricultural lands 
converted to residential and industrial use without regard for food 
security; forestlands encroached upon; critical watersheds 
compromised; and disaster risk heightened by development in hazard- 
prone areas.
The proposed National Land Use Act seeks to institutionalize a 
rational, holistic, and sustainable land use and physical planning 
mechanism through the creation of a National Land Use Commission 
(NLUC) and the formulation of a Physical Framework Plan at the 
national and local levels. It identifies categories of land uses for


planning purposes to guide the allocation, utilization, and management 
of land across the country.
While several administrations have included the passage of a 
national land use policy in their priority legislative agenda, the measure 
has yet to be passed into law.
The urgency of this legislation caimot be overstated. With the 
increasing frequency of natural disasters, a growing population, and 
intensifying pressures on land brought by infrastructure expansion, real 
estate development, and food insecurity, the passage of the National 
Land Use Act is both timely and imperative.
It is high time for the Philippines to adopt a coherent policy that 
upholds land as a resource for public welfare, economic development, 
environmental integrity, and intergenerational justice.
In view of the foregoing, approval of this bill is earnestly sought.
ERW


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TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
First Regular Session
SENATE 
Senate Bill No. 152
-7 A 8 59
Introduced by Senator Erwin Tulfo
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AN ACT
INSTITUTING A NATIONAL LAND USE POLICY, 
PROVIDING MECHANISMS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled:
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTORY PROVISIONS
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the 
“National Land Use Act.”
SEC. 2. Declaration of Principles and Policies. - It is the policy 
of the State to provide for a rational, holistic, and just allocation, 
utilization, management, and development of the country's land to 
ensure their optimum use to promote sustainable socioeconomic 
development and ecological protection. The State recognizes the need 
for rational, optimal and sustainable settlements development, 
consistent with the principles of environmental management and 
equitable access to land and security.


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Toward this end, the State institutionalizes land use and physical 
planning as mechanisms for identifying, determining, and evaluating 
appropriate land use and allocation patterns that promote and ensure:
(a) Sustainable management and utilization of natural resources;
(b) Maintenance and preservation of environmental integrity and 
stability specifically the perpetual protection of permanent forests and 
watershed and ecosystem services for the attainment of food, water and 
energy sufficiency;
(c) Disaster risk-reduction and climate change resiliency;
(d) Protection of prime agricultural lands for food security in 
basic commodities with emphasis on self-sufficiency in rice and com;
(e) Water security through sustainable development and 
management of water resources towards water security;
(f) Provision of adequate and efficient settlements, transportation 
and infrastructure development in support of urban, peri-urban, and 
rural linkages towards regional development and inclusive growth;
(g) Harmony between the rights and the varied interests of every 
Filipino within the framework of people empowerment, 
decentralization, social justice, and equity;
(h) Respect for and protection of the sustainable traditional 
resource rights of the Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous 
Peoples (ICCsAPs) to their ancestral domains to ensure their economic, 
social, and cultural well-being as well as recognition of the 
applicability of customary laws and sustainable traditional resource use 
and management, knowledge, and practices in ancestral domains in 
compliance with free and prior informed consent of ICC/IPs;
(i) Protection of the rights of basic sectors to equitable access to 
the country's land;


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(j) Protection, preservation, and development of the country’s 
historical, cultural, archaeological, and built heritage resources for the 
deeper understanding of our history and culture as a people;
(k) Attainment of energy security and self-sufficiency;
(l) A whole-of-society and whole-of-govemment orientation, 
through which thrusts and strategies espoused by different actors and 
sectors are heard and brought together to achieve complex and 
interrelated goals, is encouraged and adopted as a basic parameter in 
achieving efficiency in land use and allocation, within the framework 
of ecological development and equity;
(m) Promotion of the integrated approach to land use and urban 
transport planning to effectively manage growth in urban areas and 
ensure that the capacity of transport facilities can accommodate the 
demand for movement of passengers and goods to, from, and within 
the centers of socioeconomic activities;
(n) Vertical and horizontal linkages or spatial strategies and the 
potential for co-management and inter-locality cooperation across 
territorial jurisdictions and government levels, highlighting the 
imperative for a ridge-to- reef and ecosystem-based approach to land 
and water resource management and governance; and
(o) Data and evidence-informed management and governance of 
land and water resources, in line with the place-based aspirations and 
shared values of the community.
It is also the policy of the State to ensure that local government 
units (LGUs) share with the national government the responsibility of 
managing and maintaining ecological balance within their territorial 
jurisdiction as stated in the 1987 Constitution and Republic Act RA 
7160, as amended, otherwise known as the “Local Government Code 
of 1991”. Guided by the principle that the use of land bears a social 
function and that all economic agents contribute to the common good, 
landowners, land tenure holders, in the case of forestlands, be it an 
individual, communal, corporate or group, is held responsible for


developing and conserving their lands, thereby making their lands 
productive and supportive of environmental stability.
SEC. 3. Scope. - This Act applies to all lands and natural 
resources in the country, whether public, private, government-owned 
or in the possession of any person, whether natural or juridical, and 
serves as guide for the rational, holistic and just allocation, utilization, 
development and management of the land and water resources in the 
country, including such activities that bear impact on those resources.
SEC. 4. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act:
(a) 
Agricultural land refers to land of public domain which has 
been classified as such and is devoted to agricultural activity as defined 
under RA 6657, as amended, otherwise known as the “Comprehensive 
Agrarian Reform Law of 1988,” and not further classified for 
residential, commercial or industrial use and such other uses as may be 
provided by law;
(b) Agricultural land use conversion refers to the act or process 
of changing the current physical use of a piece of agricultural land into 
some other use not comprising an agricultural activity as defined under 
RA 6657, as approved exclusively by the Department of Agrarian 
Reform (DAR) in an order of conversion;
(c) Alienable and Disposable (A&D) lands refer to lands of the 
public domain which have been delineated, classified, and certified as 
open and available for disposition under existing laws.
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(d) Ancestral domains refer to all areas generally belonging to
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indigenous cultural communities or indigenous peoples as defined in
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RA 8371, otherwise known as “The Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of
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1997;”
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(e) Archaeological site refers to any place, whether above or
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underground, underwater or at sea level, containing fossils, artifacts
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and other cultural, geological, botanical, zoological materials which
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depict and document culturally relevant paleontological, prehistoric or
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historic events;


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(f) Basic sector refers to a group of people not referring to any 
organized groups, such as but not limited to women, youth, elderly, 
differently abled, peasants and fisher folk;
(g) Coastal area or zone refers to a band of dry land and the 
adjacent ocean space, water and submerged land, in which terrestrial 
processes and uses directly affect oceanic processes and uses and vice 
versa, the geographic extent of which includes 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 isobaths to include coral reefs, algal flats, 
seagrass beds, and other soft-bottom areas;
(h) Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) refers to a plan 
embodying a set of polices accompanied by maps and similar 
illustrations that serves as a policy guide for determining the future use 
of lands and natural resources within the territorial jurisdiction of the 
LGU, including municipal waters with due consideration to the 
biogeographic region within which the locality belongs, representing 
the community desired pattern of population distribution and proposes 
future allocation of land and resources to various activities including 
the processes and criteria employed in such determination of allocation 
of land and resources for a long-term management of the local territory 
covering a minimum period of twelve (12) years, reviewable not earlier 
than every six (6) years;
(i) Comprehensive land use planning refers to the act of defining 
the allocation, utilization, development and management of all lands 
and water resources within a given territory or jurisdiction according to 
the inherent characteristic and carrying capacities of the land itself and 
supportive of sustainable economic, demographic, socio-cultural and 
environmental objectives as an aid to decision-making and legislation;
(j) Critical habitats refer to areas outside protected areas as 
defined in RA 7586, otherwise known as the “National Integrated 
Protected Areas System Act of 1992”, that are known habitats of 
threatened species and designated as such based on scientific data 
taking into consideration species endemicity or richness, presence of


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human-made pressures or threats to the survival of wildlife living in the 
area;
(k) Critical watershed refers to a drainage area of a river system 
supporting existing and proposed hydroelectric power, irrigation works 
or existing water facilities needing immediate protection and 
rehabilitation to minimize erosion and improve water yield;
(l) Cultural heritage refers to the totality of cultural properties, 
whether natural or human made, preserved and developed through time 
and passed on for posterity;
(m) Cultural property refers to all products of human creativity 
by which a people and a nation reveal their identity, including churches, 
mosques and other places of religious worship, schools and natural 
history specimens and sites, whether public or privately-owned, 
movaWe or immovable, and tangible or intangible;
(n) Customary laws refer to a body of written or unwritten rules, 
usages, customs and practices traditionally and continually recognized, 
accepted, and observed by respective ICCs/IPs, consistent with RA
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8371;
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(o) Development plan refers to the activities and measures that 
the national government or LGUs intend to implement over a specified 
period of time to achieve the defined set of development goals 
identified in the national or local physical framework plans integrating 
socio-economic, 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 including an 
analysis of problems and resources, definition of goals and objectives, 
policy guidelines, programs and projects, and an implementation 
mechanism which defines the roles and contributions expected from 
the government and the private sector;
(p) Ecologically fragile areas refer to areas within critical 
watersheds, brackish and freshwater wetlands, pasture lands, inland 
rivers and waterways coastal and settlement areas, and croplands which


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require rehabilitation, protection and whose continued unsustainable 
use may 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;
(q) Ecotourism refers to a form of sustainable tourism within a 
natural 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 host community and satisfaction of visitors;
(r) Energy resources refer to surface or subsurface substances that 
serve as energy resources including traditionally mineral fuel deposits 
such as coal petroleum, natural gas or renewable resources from 
geothermal, hydro reservoirs or non-conventional sources such as 
ocean waves, solar, wind, biomass, and other similar resources which 
serve the same purpose;
(s) Energy resource lands refer to lands where naturally occurring 
or indigenous energy resources exist in sufficient quantity or quality as 
to be economically viable for exploration, development production, 
utilization and distribution purposes;
(t) Exhausted mineral resources refer to specific sites where the 
mineral resources are no longer in sufficient quantity or quality to 
justify additional expenditure for extraction or utilization as determined 
by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau and approved by the Department 
of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR);
(u) Flood plain refers to relatively smooth valley floors adjacent 
to and formed by rivers which overflow its banks at flood stages. The 
plain usually consist of unconsolidated fine sediments such as sand, 
silt, and clay;
(v) 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


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these bodies or because of land reclamation and other artificial 
interference with the natural processes;
(w) 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 marked by a beach scarp or berm;
(x) Forest refers to an ecosystem or an assemblage of ecosystems 
dominated by trees and other woody vegetation or a community of 
plants and animals interacting with one another and its physical 
environment;
(y) Forest lands refer to one of the four classifications of land 
defined in the Constitution under the public domain determined as 
suitable for forest purposes and not classified as mineral land, national 
park or agricultural land such as all permanent forest reserves, forest 
reservations, and all the remaining unclassified lands of the public 
domain;
(z) Geo-hazards refer to a geological process or phenomenon that 
may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, 
loss of livelihoods and services, social and economic disruption or 
environmental damage. This includes internal earth processes such 
as earthquakes and volcanic activities, and geophysical processes like 
mass movements landslides, surface collapses, debris and mud flow;
(aa) Geo-hazard prone areas refer to areas frequently affected 
and/or are vulnerable or at risk to weather/climatic, hydrologic, 
geologic and other natural calamities;
(bb) Heritage zone refer to historical, anthropological, 
archaeological, artistic geographical areas and settings that are 
culturally significant to the country, as declared by the National 
Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and/or the National 
Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP);
(cc) Illegal conversion refers to an attempt to or an actual change 
in the use of land from agricultural to a residential, commercial, or


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industrial and other non-agricultural activity, without a conversion 
grant or clearance based on the requirements under Section 65 of RA 
6657, as amended, and to dispossess a tenant as provided under Section 
73 (c) of RA 6657, as amended, when established from the following 
instances:
(1) 
an agricultural land is developed for use in non-agricultural 
activities without a DAR Conversion Order;
(2) 
the agricultural land being converted is irrigated or 
irrigable;
(3) 
there is land activity such as, but not limited to, earth 
filling/dumping, earth moving/digging, and quarrying, and 
in each case, bona fide conduct of agricultural activities on 
a greater portion of the land developed has ceased; and
(4) 
Other analogous activities.
(dd) Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples 
(ICCs/IPPs) 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, non-indigenous religions 
and cultures, became historically differentiated from the majority of 
Filipinos including 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 non- 
indigenous 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;
(ee) Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) refer to the present most 
important sites for biodiversity conservation worldwide which are 
considered places of international importance for the conservation of 
biodiversity through protected areas and other governance mechanisms


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and which are identified nationally using simple standard criteria based 
on their importance in maintaining species populations;
(ff) Land refers to resources, both artificial and natural, found on 
the surface, below, and above the ground, including inland waters and 
the air therein;
(gg) Land use refers to the manner of allocation, utilization, 
management and development of land;
(hh) 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 provided 
for in this Act;
(ii) Land use planning refers to the rational and judicious 
approach of allocating available land resources to different land-using 
activities, such as but not limited to agricultural, residential, industrial, 
commercial, institutional, forest land uses, and for different functions 
consistent with the overall development vision/goal of a particular 
locality;
(jj) Mandatory public hearings or consultations refer to the 
mechanism of involving the concerned stakeholders and communities 
in land use planning, from the barangay to the national level, to ensure 
the social acceptability of the plans including giving notice of hearing 
or consultation to the concerned stakeholders through publication or 
posting in conspicuous places, conducting a reasonable number of 
hearings, and soliciting positions to arrive at a consensus through 
public presentations and validation of the planning results undertaken 
before the final adoption of the plans;
(kk) Marine protected area refers to a defined area of the sea 
established and set aside by law, administrative regulation or any other 
effective means to conserve and protect a part of the entire enclosed 
environment, through the establishment of management guidelines;
(11) Minerals refer to naturally occurring inorganic substance 
beneath or at the surface of the earth, whether or not under water, and
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includes all metallic minerals, and non>metallic minerals such as 
precious stones, industrial rocks, and building stones;
(mm) Mineral lands refer to any area where mineral resources are 
found, including areas that are established as mineral reservations, 
areas with active mining operations; areas with projected mining 
tenural rights; and areas declared by court decisions as mineral lands;
(nn) Mineral reservations refer to areas established and 
proclaimed as such by the President of the Philippines upon the 
recommendation of the Director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau 
through the DENR Secretary including all submerged lands within the 
contiguous zone and exclusive Economic Zone.
(oo) 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;
(pp) 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 the 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 including lands and waters of 
the public domain classified as such in the Constitution such as all areas 
under the NIPAS primarily designated for the conservation of native 
plants and animals and associated habitats and cultural diversity;
(qq) 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 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, covering all
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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 with 
industrial crops that support the validity of existing agricultural 
infrastructure and agro-based enterprises, highlands or areas located at 
an elevation of five hundred meters (500) 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 
may result in serious environmental degradation, and all mangrove 
areas and fish sanctuaries;
(rr) Physical framework plans refer to the national, regional or 
provincial indicative plans that outline the over-all and macro-level 
spatial and 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 or 
boards respectively based on the CLUPs of the LGUs and the national 
policy guidelines relating to land use, infrastructure development and 
environmental management to prevent or mitigate the adverse effects 
of inappropriate resource utilization on food security, the welfare of the 
people and their environment;
(ss) Physical Planning is the process of organizing physical 
activities and land uses, including settlements, environmental 
protection, economic activities, and infrastructure to ensure 
sustainable, orderly, and optimal siting and coordination of land uses;
(tt) Prime agricultural lands refer to all contiguous irrigated 
lands/areas and irrigable lands already covered by irrigation projects, 
including all alluvial plain lands highly suitable for agriculture, not 
irrigated that have been identified to satisfy the need for food self- 
sufficiency and food security and agro-industrial croplands or lands 
presently planted to industrial and high value crops that support the 
viability of existing agricultural infrastructure and agro-based 
enterprises, highlands or areas located at an elevation of five hundred 
(500) meters or above, highly suitable for growing semi-temperate and 
high value crops outside of declared permanent forestlands and 
protections forests, and are not located in ecologically fragile and 
environmentally critical areas;
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(uu) 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;
(w) Protected areas refer to portions of land and water set aside 
by reason of their unique physical and biological diversity and 
protected against human exploitation including all natural forests and 
agricultural lands identified and delineated under this Act;
(ww) Reclassification of agricultural lands refer to the act of 
specifying how agricultural lands are classified or used for non- 
agricultural uses such as residential, industrial or commercial purposes, 
as embodied in the land use plan subject to the requirements and 
procedure for reclassification undertaken by the LGU in accordance 
with Section 20 of RA 7160, as amended;
(xx) Resettlement areas refer to areas identified by the 
appropriate national agency or by the LGU with respect to areas within 
its jurisdiction which are used for the relocation of the underprivileged 
and homeless, as defined under RA 7279, otherwise known as the 
“Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992;”
(yy) Strategic Agriculture and Fisheries Development Zones 
(SAFDZ) refers to the 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 socio-culturally sound 
manner pursuant to Section 4 of RA 8435 or “Agriculture and Fisheries 
Modernization Act of 1997”.
(zz) Settlements refer to communities or built-up environment 
areas where people prefer to live in;
(aaa) Settlements development refers to any improvement on 
existing settlements or any proposed development of certain areas for 
settlement purposes involving the spatial distribution of population, 
identification of the roles and functions of key urban centers, 
determination of relationships among settlement areas, and the
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provision of basic services and facilities of identified major settlement 
areas of growth centers;
(^hh) Shoreline refers to a strip of land covering of at least one (1) 
kilometer from the point where seawater reaches during the highest 
high tide;
(ccc) State universities and colleges (SUCs) refer to public higher 
education institutions in the Philippines created and established by law 
which constitutes their charter and which have independent and 
separate governing boards;
(ddd) sue Land Use Plan refers to a campus master plan 
mandated under RA 11396, otherwise known as the “SUCs Land Use 
Development and Infrastructure Plan Act” that contains the allocation 
and utilization of the land within a campus’ geographic boundary to 
meet the required academic and non- academic support services and 
facilities as well as the campus development programs and projects and 
the investment needed to implement them.
(eee) 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;
(fff) Tourism development areas refer to specific sites for 
tourism development located in areas identified as priorities in the 
national and regional tourism master plans and those designated 
through legislative and executive issuances as tourist spots and tourist 
zones which may be developed into tourism estates or integrated resort, 
leisure, recreation complexes, and other tourism related facilities;
(ggg) Tourism ecozone refers to tourism development areas, 
outside of protection lands which have been granted special economic 
zone status through the Philippine Export Zone Authority registration 
and issuance of the required Presidential Proclamation, with its metes 
and bounds, delineated by said proclamation, pursuant to RA 7916, as
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amended, otherwise known as “The Special Economic Zone Act of 
1995”;
(hhh) Tourism estates refer to large tracts of land with well- 
defined boundaries in any area, excluding those protection lands, 
identified in the Philippine tourism master plan and regional tourism 
by proclamation of the President of the Philippines or by acts of 
Congress 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;
(iii) Tourist spot refers to a particular area, site or spot, man-made 
or natural, known for its unique tourist or visitor-drawing attributes and 
activities and which may be classified according to its social, cultural, 
natural, historical, aesthetic, visual, scientific, religious, or recreational 
significance;
(jjj) Tourist zone refers to a geographic area with well-defined 
boundaries proclaimed as such by the President of the Philippines or 
by acts of Congress where development projects for any purpose are 
initiated and introduced prior to formulation of a tourism master 
development plan which are undertaken in coordination with the 
Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Tourism Infrastructure 
Enterprise Zone (TIEZA) for the enhancement or the conservation of 
cultural and historical heritage, and for the appreciation and enjoyment 
of the local population and its visitors;
(kkk) Transmission line corridor refers to the land beneath, the 
air spaces surrounding, and the area traversed by electric power 
transmission lines including its horizontal, vertical, and similar 
clearance requirements;
(111) 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;
(mmm) Urbanizable areas refer to sites and lands which, 
considering present characteristics and prevailing conditions, display
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great potential of becoming urban areas within a period of five (5) 
years;
(nnn) Urban forest 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, man-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;
(ooo) Water security refers to the sufficient access throughout the 
year to the minimum daily requirement of clean water to maintain a 
healthy life;
(ppp) 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
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(qqq) 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, irrigation system or urban water supply take off point, or where 
the stream discharges into a river, lake, or the sea;
(rrr) 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 or municipality and specifying the 
conditions for their regulation, subject to the limitations imposed by 
law and competent authority; and
(sss) Zoning ordinance refers to a local law passed by the 
Sangguniang Bayan or Panlungsod approving the development control 
or zoning plan in accordance with an approved or adopted CLUP of the 
city or municipality, providing for the regulations and other conditions 
on the land uses, including the limitation on the infrastructure that may 
be placed within the territorial jurisdiction of the city or municipality.
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incorporating the protected areas, protected agricultural lands and 
ancestral lands as provided for in this Act.
CHAPTER II
PHYSICAL FRAMEWORK AND LAND USE PLAN
SEC. 5. National Physical Framework Plan. - The National Land 
Use Commission (NLUC) created under Sec. 18 herein shall formulate 
the National Physical Framework Plan (NPFP), which shall have a 
timeframe of thirty (30) years, with regular review and updating every 
ten (10) years. The NPFP, which guides the planning and management 
of the country's land and other physical resources at the national and 
sub-national levels, shall indicate broad spatial directions and policy 
guidelines on settlements development, production land use, protection 
land use, social services and utilities, transmission line corridor, and 
transportation and communication.
The Regional Physical Framework Plans (RPFPs), Provincial 
Physical Framework and Development Plans (PPFDPs), and CLUPs 
shall cover the physical development of their respective territories and 
shall be consistent with the NPFP: Provided, That the integration and 
harmonization of the physical framework plans at all levels shall be 
iterative to ensure that the concerns of both top and bottom levels of 
government are considered. The physical and land use plans prepared 
at all levels shall have internal consistency specifically on, but not 
limited to, the development, management and conservation of 
forestlands, watersheds, and all terrestrial, aquatic, and marine 
ecosystems found within a given territory and the linkages of the major 
land use categories to ensure their complementation in the utilization, 
development, management, protection and conservation of all natural 
resources. The NLUC shall issue procedural guidelines which shall 
guide the formulation and integration or harmonization of land use 
plans at all levels: Provided, That the National Economic Development 
Authority (NEDA), DENR, Department of Human Settlements and 
Urban Development (DHSUD), Department of the Interior and Local 
Government (DILG) and other agencies will continue to issue specific 
guidelines on the planning process and content of the plans consistent 
with the NLUC guidelines and their respective agency mandates.
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SEC. 6. Regional Physical Framework Plans. - In consultation
2 
with concerned sectors, the Regional Land Use Policy Council
3 
(RLUPC) shall define the desired spatial arrangement of land and
4 
land-use activities in the entire region, based on the consolidated and
5 
harmonized PPFDPs of provinces and independent cities within the
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territorial jurisdiction of the region. The RPFP, which depicts an end-
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state scenario toward which efforts and activities are directed, shall
8 
consist of spatially-based and area-focused policies, consistent with
9 
those in the national framework for physical planning, to guide detailed
10 
physical, socio-economic, sectoral and investment planning. The RPFP
11 
shall have a planning period of twelve (12) years to be updated every
12 
six (6) years or when deemed necessary.
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SEC. 7. Provincial Physical Framework and Development Plans.
15 - In consultation with concerned sectors, the Provincial Planning and
16 
Development Office (PPDO) shall prepare a Provincial Physical
17 
Framework and Development Plans (PPFDP), which shall define the
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province's development vision, economic and social development
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policies, environmental and ecological protection policies, general land
20 
uses, and inter-city/municipal transportation system. The PPFDP shall
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integrate and harmonize the land use plans of component cities and
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municipalities, using the ridge-to-reef (R2R) or watershed ecosystem
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management (WEM) approach taking into consideration shared
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watersheds, ecosystems and natural resources and planning concerns,
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and define the uses of land and other resources within the province
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consistent with the policies in the regional physical framework plan.
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The programs, projects and activities prescribed in the PPFDP shall be
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integrated into the provincial development investment program. The
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PPDO shall submit the PPFDP to the Provincial Land Use Policy
30 
Council (PLUPC), for review and endorsement to the Sangguniang
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Panlalawigan, which shall adopt the same pursuant to Section 468 (2)
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(vii) of RA 7160. The PPFDP shall have a planning period of twelve
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(12) years to be updated every six (6) years or when deemed necessary.
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SEC. 8. City/Municipal Land Use Plans. - The City/Municipal
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Planning and Development Office (C/MPDO) shall prepare the
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comprehensive land use plan (CLUP) to determine the specific uses of
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land and other physical resources therein including areas co-managed
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with the national government and, as appropriate, the ancestral domain
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areas. This shall be done in consultation with concerned sectors through
2 
mandatory conduct of public hearings and with the use of technology-
3 
based systems such as, but not limited to, the Community-Based
4 
Monitoring System (CBMS) required to be established in every city
5 
and municipality under RA 11315 or the “Community-Based
6 
Monitoring System Act”. The CLUP shall be consistent with the
7 
R2R/WEM-based PPFDP and shall define the city or municipal
8 
development vision, appropriate economic, environmental and social
9 
development policies, densities and transportation system using the 
R2RAVEM approach. The CLUP shall have a planning period of 
twelve (12) years to be updated every six (6) years or when deemed 
necessary. The C/MPDO shall also use, among others, the CBMS in 
the updating of the CLUPs.
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The R2RAVEM-based CLUP will be used as the common 
reference framework for the preparation of all sectoral development 
plans that will form part of the Comprehensive Land Use and 
Development Plan which merges the traditionally separate CLUP and 
comprehensive development plan to address the disconnect between 
spatial development and sectoral programs and to ensure the 
complementation between the medium- and long-term concerns and 
shall be the basis of the formulation of the local development 
investment program. The CLUP shall be translated into a zoning 
ordinance by the concerned Sanggunian to regulate the uses of land, 
including the limitations on height, density and bulk of buildings and 
other infrastructure that may be placed thereon.
SEC. 9. Physical Framework and Land Use Planning Process. - 
The land use and physical planning process shall be formulated 
following a combined bottom-up and top-down approach. The NLUC, 
in consultation with the concerned sectors through the mandatory 
conduct of public hearings, shall formulate, periodically update and 
ensure the implementation of the NPFP that shall prescribe and 
influence the country’s land use and physical development. The NPFP 
shall operationalize the policies provided in this Act and shall be the 
basis for adopting land use and physical planning-related guidelines 
and standards, including zoning and other land use control standards 
that shall guide the formulation of city/municipal zoning ordinances. 
The policies prescribed in the NPFP shall be integrated into the
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Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan and Medium-Term 
Philippine Investment Program.
In the formulation of the respective National, Regional Provincial 
or City/Municipal Land Use Plans, the respective SUC Land Use Plans 
approved by the CHED prior to the approval of this Act shall be taken 
into consideration in the approval of the plans. As such, the President 
of the SUCs shall be consulted prior to the approval of the said plans.
SEC. 10. Land Use Plans for Ancestral Domains. - Land use 
plans for ancestral domains shall be formulated by the ICCsAPs 
themselves in accordance with their needs and traditional resource and 
management systems with the assistance of the NCIP, the LGUs and 
civil society organizations (CSOs) concerned. Such plans shall be 
recognized and adopted in the City/Municipal, Provincial, Regional 
and National Physical Framework Plans.
Physical Framework Plans made prior to the delineation of 
ancestral domains included in such plans shall, without prejudice to the 
rights of the ICCsAPs concerned, adopt different land use categories in 
accordance with their particular needs and traditional resources and 
management systems.
In cases where there are no ancestral domains sustainable 
development and protection plans (ADSDPPs), the LGUs and ICCs/IPs 
shall jointly formulate the land use within the ancestral domains until 
such time that the ICCS/IPS shall have formulated their ADSDPPs.
SEC. 11. Revision of Existing Planning Guidelines. - The 
existing planning guidelines on the NPFP, RPFP and PPFDP shall be 
reviewed and revised pursuant to Sections 5, 6, 7, and 9 of this Act.
CHAPTER III
FRAMEWORK FOR LAND USE PLANNING
SEC. 12. Basic Objective of Land Use or Physical Framework 
Planning. - The primary objective of a physical framework plan is to 
describe existing land uses and to identify an integrated physical 
framework, including an overall vision, policies on social and
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economic development and environmental protection and supporting 
transportation and other infrastructure facilities, that shall define future 
development. Its output includes the identification of programs, 
projects and activities needed to achieve the desired development, 
without compromising environmental and ecological stability, and 
which shall serve as inputs to the investment program. In the case of 
the CLUP, it is also intended to provide specific development and 
building guidelines and parameters that be implemented through a 
zoning ordinance.
SEC. 13. Priorities in Land Use Allocation and Planning. — 
Using the R2R/WEM approach in projecting spatial allocation for 
different land uses, the LGUs shall first exclude areas under protection 
land use in Section 16 (a) hereof, national parks, energy resource lands, 
and prime agricultural lands to ensure ecological integrity, energy 
supply, and promote food security. Areas with prior rights and those 
with site-specific resources for basic services, such as but not limited 
to, water and indigenous energy resources, shall also be excluded. All 
land use activities inside the excluded areas that are not consistent with 
the general purposes of the excluded areas shall be assessed, regulated, 
and/or modified to ensure that these activities do not compromise the 
general purposes of the excluded areas. Spatial allocation and planning 
shall then proceed in accordance with Sections 15 and 16 hereof with 
priorities given to integrated watershed management areas, socialized 
housing sites, fisherfolk settlement in coastal areas, and waste disposal 
sites.
SEC. 14. Approach to Land Use and Physical Framework 
Planning. — The R2R/WEM approach shall be used in land use and 
physical framework planning to promote a holistic, integrated, 
equitable and inclusive development, and a flourishing environment, 
watersheds and ecosystems. It shall include a description of existing 
land uses and land use trends, as well as the physical, demographic, 
economic, social, political, environmental, and ecological conditions 
that have shaped and are likely to shape future land use and physical 
developments. It shall then derive a land use plan or physical 
framework by matching, reconciling or integrating the demand for land 
with the supply of land in a holistic manner to optimize socioeconomic 
development and minimize the total impacts of the land use plan on
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watersheds and ecosystems. The resulting land use plan or physical 
framework shall be the basis for identifying necessary policies, 
programs, projects and activities, and development controls to guide 
future development. The land use plan or physical framework shall be 
holistic in nature and not emanate from specific individual or 
corporation which, in essence, constitutes as spot zoning.
SEC. 15. Adoption of Multiple Uses of Land Resources. - The 
primary and alternative uses of a specific unit of land resource based 
on its capability to support certain uses sustainably shall be determined 
and evaluated 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, forestry, agro­
forestry and extraction activities and other income-generating or 
livelihood activities may be allowed by concerned agencies; Provided, 
That multiple uses of land resources shall be excluded in areas 
identified as protection land use: Provided, further, That such land uses 
shall maximize the socioeconomic benefits without compromising the 
desired levels of ecosystem services within a ridge to reef unit: 
Provided, finally. That such land uses shall be in accordance with 
priorities in land use allocation and planning and that no 
reclassification shall be allowed.
SEC. 16. Basic Land Use Planning Considerations. - In 
determining the various land uses, the people and their productive 
activities and the need for functional open spaces and preservation 
areas as well as the various interrelationships of the physical 
characteristics of the land and other elements therein shall be 
considered, among others, including the following:
(a) Availability of natural resources including indigenous energy 
resources for energy security and self-sufficiency;
(b) Geology, geomorphology, current and emerging geologic 
climate- related hazards and risks, soil, vegetative cover, demography 
and slope;
(c) Economic, environmental, cultural, social and related 
development activities;
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(d) Existing government policies on land and natural resources 
allocation, utilization, management and disposition;
(e) Technological changes or advancement;
(f) Existing customary rights for the protection of indigenous 
peoples and vulnerable groups including women, rural and urban poor;
(g) Desired levels of ecosystem services like water quality and 
quantity, soil stability, biodiversity, agricultural and fishery 
productivity, among others; and
(h) Inventory of prior and existing rights, to harmonize 
determination of land use.
SEC. 17. Categories of Land Uses for Planning Purposes. - In 
determining and defining the national, regional and provincial 
framework plans, and CLUPs, land uses shall be grouped into four 
major functional uses as follows:
(a) Protection land use which include the use of land primarily 
for food, water and energy security, rehabilitation, conservation, and 
protection purposes to promote the country’s ecological and life- 
support systems. Planning for protection land use intends to achieve 
food self-sufficiency in rice and corn, water and energy security, 
environmental stability and ecological integrity, ensure a balance 
between resource use and the preservation of some areas with 
environmental, aesthetic, educational, cultural, heritage and historical 
significance, and protect people and human- made structures from the 
ill-effects of natural hazards. All lands, either public or private, under 
protection land use shall be permanently conserved, preserved, 
rehabilitated and protected from all other land uses, disposition, 
intrusion, utilization and development that is not consistent with its 
existing uses. Areas under this category also include those covered by 
RA 7586, as amended by RA 11038 or the “Extended National 
Integrated Protected Areas Act of 2018”, and other coastal and marine 
protected areas, those areas outside NIPAS but nonetheless require 
protection because of their outstanding physical and aesthetic features.
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anthropological significance, and biological diversity, and those areas
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prone to natural hazards, such as but not limited to the following:
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(1) 
Natural forests and mossy areas with more than 50% in 
slope gradient;
(2) 
Mangrove and fish sanctuaries, pursuant to RA 8435, and 
RA 8550, or “The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998”;
(3) 
Buffer zones or strips/easements, pursuant to Presidential 
Decree (PD) 389, otherwise known as the “Forestry Reform 
Code of the Philippines”, as amended by PD 705, or the 
“Revised Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines” and PD 
1067, or the “Water Code of the Philippines”;
(4) 
Salvage zones along foreshore areas, freshwater swamps 
and marshes, plazas, archaeological, and heritage or historic 
sites, pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. (PP) 2146, 
series of 1981 entitled “Proclaiming Certain Areas and 
Types of Projects Environmentally Critical and within the 
Scope of Environmental Impact Statement System 
Established under Presidential Decree No. 1586”; 
Watersheds supporting bulk or domestic water supply; 
Utility easement like power lines of electric power 
generators, transmission and distributors, oil and gas 
facilities, cell sites, and bulk/domestic water lines;
Amenity areas or those with high aesthetic values, pursuant 
to PP 2146;
Natural and human-made areas/sites of cultural, historical 
and anthropological significance, which are declared as 
such by internationally recognized organizations and 
concerned national agencies;
(9) 
Critical habitats as provided in RA 9147, otherwise known 
as the “Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection 
Acf’;
(10) Significant caves under RA 9072, otherwise known as the 
“National Caves and Cave Resources Management and 
Protection Acf’; or
(11) Key biodiversity areas under Executive Order No. 578, 
series of 2006, entitled “Establishing the National Policy on 
Biodiversity, Prescribing its Implementation Throughout
(5)
(6)
(7)
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the Country, Particularly in the Sulu Sulawesi Marine 
Ecosystem and the Verde Island Passage Marine Corridor”.
Existing property and private rights shall be recognized and 
respected on the condition that these rights are harmonized with the 
intent of the identified protected land use.
(b) Production Land Use wherein there is a direct and indirect 
utilization of land resources for crop, fishery, livestock and poultry 
production, forestry, agroforestry, mining, industry, energy 
development, indigenous energy exploration and development, and 
tourism. Planning for production land determines the most efficient, 
sustainable, and equitable manner of utilizing, developing and 
managing land for productive purposes. Areas included in this category 
are agricultural lands, fishing grounds, coastal and marine zones, 
production forest, which can be made available for timber and 
agroforestry production, rangelands for grazing, forest lands for special 
uses including for energy and reforestation projects, mineral lands or 
mining areas and reservations, energy resource lands, industrial 
development areas, and tourism development areas where productive 
activities may be undertaken to meet the country's requirements for 
food security, economic growth and development.
(c) Settlements development wherein any improvement on 
existing settlements in urban and rural areas or any proposed 
development of certain areas for settlement purposes 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 to 
such settlement. The settlements development plan ensures for the 
present and future generation the following: (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; (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; and (3) security 
against risks associated with climate change and other natural hazards.
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(d) Infrastructure development includes the availability or supply 
of basic services and fostering of 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 covers sub-sectors of 
transportation, communications, energy, water resources, and social 
infrastructure: Provided, That the determination of functional uses of 
ands within ancestral domains shall consider traditional resource and 
management systems that do not endanger the lives of the people and 
property of the local community and neighboring areas or increase the 
vulnerability of the natural environment to the effects of natural and 
human-induced geological processes.
CHAPTER IV
IMPLEMENTING STRUCTURE AND MECHANISM
SEC. 18. Creation of the National Land Use Commission. - The 
National Land Use Commission (NLUC) is hereby created as a 
Commission under the Office of the President. It shall exercise the 
powers and responsibilities of the current National Land Use 
Committee, which is hereby abolished. The NLUC shall be chaired by 
a Commissioner to be appointed by the President. The Commissioner 
will have the rank of a Cabinet Secretary. The Commissioner shall be 
a qualified professional in any of the fields of land use, physical 
planning, environmental management, engineering, public governance 
or law.
The NLUC shall act as the highest policy making body on land 
use and resolve land use policy conflicts between or among agencies, 
branches, or levels of the government. It shall coordinate efforts 
towards the development of integrated land use plans at the national, 
regional, provincial, and municipal/city levels, and monitor the 
implementation of all land use plans including relevant policies.
SEC. 19. Composition of the NLUC. - The NLUC will be 
composed of the following;
(a) 
Commissioner of NLUC as Chairperson;
(b) 
Secretary of NED A as Vice-Chairperson;
(c) 
Secretary of the DENR;
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(d) 
Secretary of the DHSUD;
(e) 
Secretary of DA;
(f) 
Secretary of DAR;
(g) 
Secretary of Department of Public Works and Highways 
(DPWH)
(h) 
Secretary of the DILG;
(i) 
Chairperson of National Commission on Indigenous Peoples 
(NCIP); and
(j) 
A Representative from the Leagues of Provinces, Cities and 
Municipalities to represent the LGUs.
The Department Secretaries may designate a representative with 
a rank not lower than Assistant Secretary: Provided, That the 
designated representative shall be on a permanent basis.
SEC. 20. Powers and Functions. — The NLUC shall have the 
following powers and functions:
(a) Advise the President of the Philippines on all matters 
concerning land use and physical planning;
(b) Integrate and harmonize all laws, guidelines and policies 
relevant to land use and physical planning to come up with a rational, 
cohesive, and comprehensive national land use framework;
(c) Formulate policies and endorse land use and physical 
planning- related policies that may be formulated by the RLUPC, 
created under Section 22 of this Act, and concerned agencies as well as 
promulgate zoning and other land use control standards and guidelines 
which shall guide the formulation of land use plans and zoning 
ordinances by local governments;
(d) Prepare, periodically review and if necessary, update the 
national framework for physical planning to provide the general 
framework for the spatial development directions for the entire country 
and sub-national levels;
(e) 
Review and endorse all land use and physical planning 
related guidelines;
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(f) 
Monitor and coordinate the gathering of data, the conduct 
of studies pertaining to land use planning including studies on the 
management of identified land uses and such other studies not 
undertaken by other government agencies;
(g) 
Recommend to the President of the Philippines the 
adoption, passage, or amendment of laws to ensure that sectoral 
programs, plans, projects, and activities, including local government 
initiatives affecting land use are consistent with national development 
objectives;
(h) Coordinate with and assist other government agencies and 
LGUs in planning, developing, and implementing their land use 
classification programs, and provide, to the extent possible, technical 
assistance and guidance;
(i) Monitor and coordinate the activities of concerned agencies 
and entities of the government, as well as LGUs, in the enforcement 
and implementation of land use plans, policies and regulations relating 
to land use and resource management and development;
(j) Monitor and coordinate activities in the establishment of a 
national land resource information and management system of 
concerned agencies that shall integrate and process information on land 
use and allocation generated by the various national government 
agencies; define information requirements at various levels; and 
standardize information inputs and outputs including scales and 
symbols used in territorial and sectoral maps;
(k) Be the repository of all RPFPs, PPFDPs and CLUPs and all 
data and information pertaining to land and land use;
(l) Call on any department, bureau, office, agency, or 
instrumentality of the government, and or private entities and 
organization for cooperation, support, and assistance in the 
performance of its functions;
(m) Decide and resolve policy conflicts and territorial jurisdiction 
on land use between or among agencies, branches, or levels of the
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government and act on unresolved land use policy conflicts at the 
regional level elevated by the RLUPC;
(n) Adopt rules of procedures for the orderly and expeditious 
conduct of meetings and other business of the Council; and
(o) 
Perform such other acts and functions and exercise such 
other powers as may be necessarily implied, inherent, incident, or 
related to the foregoing.
SEC. 21. National Land Use Office (NLUO). The National 
Land Use Office (NLUO) is hereby created under the Office of the 
President, which shall serve as technical secretariat to the NLUC. The 
NLUO shall be headed by the NLUC Commissioner with two (2) 
Deputy Commissioners with the rank of Undersecretary. The NLUO 
shall have an Executive Director.
Further, the NLUO shall have services units for planning and 
policy formulation, operations and information systems management, 
and special land use concerns. The NLUC shall prepare and formulate 
the organizational structure and staffing pattern of the NLUO for 
submission to the Department of Budget and Management for its 
evaluation and approval.
SEC. 22. Regional Land Use Office. - A Regional Land Use 
Office (RLUO) is hereby created in each Region.
CHAPTER V
REGIONAL AND LOCAL LAND USE POLICY BODIES
SEC. 23. Regional Land Use Policy Council (RLUPC). - At the 
regional level, the RLUPC shall be institutionalized, replicating the 
NLUC structure and composition with DHSUD representative as 
Chairperson, NED A representative as Vice-Chairperson and with a 
duly authorized representative from the DENR, DA, DAR, DPWH, 
DILG, NCCA, and LGU as members. The RLUPC shall have the 
following functions:
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(a) Formulate and adopt regional policies on land use and 
physical planning;
(b) Prepare and periodically update an RPFP taking into 
consideration national polices and lower-level plans;
(c) Assist the provinces in preparing and periodically updating its 
physical framework plans to ensure consistency with the regional and 
national plans and policies and to facilitate its integration with the 
regional plans;
(d) Review, prior to adoption by respective Sanggunians, the 
PPFDP, and CLUPs of highly urbanized and independent component 
cities, to ensure consistency with the RPFP and national policies set 
forth by the NLUC and compliance with limits prescribed under RA 
7160, as amended, for reclassifying agricultural lands;
(e) Decide and resolve policy conflicts on land use planning, 
classification, and allocation that may arise between or among regional 
line agencies, provinces and cities or municipalities;
(f) Monitor changes in land use and other physical resources in 
the region;
(g) Evaluate consistency of major programs and projects with the 
regional physical framework plans and their impact on land use and the 
environment;
(h) 
Undertake the gathering of regional data for the land 
resource information and management system; and
(i) 
Perform other related functions as may be directed by the 
NLUC.
SEC. 24. Provincial Land Use Policy Council. — The Provincial 
Development Council, created under Section 106 of RA 7160, shall act 
as the PLUPC that will tackle land use concerns whenever necessary. 
A duly authorized representative from the DENR, DHSUD, DAR, DA, 
DILG, and DPWH shall be included in the composition of the PLUPC.
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In addition to the functions enumerated in Section 109 of RA 7160, the
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(a) Advise the Sangguniang Panlalawigan on all matters 
pertaining to land use and physical planning;
(b) Review and endorse to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan for 
adoption, the provincial physical framework plans, prepared and 
periodically updated by the PPDO and other land use and physical 
planning-related policies;
(c) Decide and resolve policy conflicts on land use planning, 
classification, and allocation that may arise between or among cities or 
municipalities and any unresolved land use conflicts at the city or 
municipal level. The PLUPC may call upon any local official 
concerned such as provincial planning and development coordinator, 
provincial agriculturist, provincial environment and natural resources 
officer, provincial engineer, provincial assessor, or any official of 
national agencies and other relevant agencies during discussions on 
land use and physical planning concerns; and
(d) Assist the Sangguniang Panlalawigan in reviewing the 
CLUPs of component cities or municipalities to ensure consistency 
with the provincial physical framework plans and compliance with the 
limits prescribed under RA 7160, as amended, for reclassifying 
agricultural lands.
SEC. 25. City/Municipal Land Use Policy Council. - The 
City/Municipal Development Council (C/MDC), created under Section 
106 of RA 7160, shall act as the C/MLUPC that will tackle land use 
concerns whenever necessary. A duly authorized representative from 
the DHSUD, DAR, DA, DENR, DPWH and DILG shall be included in 
the composition of the C/MLUPC. In addition to the functions 
enumerated in Section 109 of RA 7160, the C/MLUP shall:
(a) Advise the Sangguniang Bayan or Sangguniang Panlungsod 
on all matters pertaining to land use and physical planning;
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(b) Review and endorse to the Sangguniang Bayan or
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Sangguniang Panlungsod for adoption, the CLUP prepared and
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periodically updated by the City/Municipal Planning and Development
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Office and other land use and physical planning-related policies;
(c) Decide and resolve policy conflicts on land use planning, 
classification, and allocation that may arise between and among 
barangays and any unresolved land use conflict at the barangay level 
regarding the violation of zoning ordinances including opposition to 
applications for locational clearances, permits or certificates; and
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(d) Advise the local zoning board of appeals and adjustments on 
all issues and conflicts relating to zoning.
For purposes of this Act, the City/Municipal Planning and 
Development Coordinator (C/MPDC) shall: (a) act on all applications 
for locational clearances for all projects except those of vital and 
national economic or environmental significance; and (b) monitor on­
going/existing projects within their respective jurisdictions and issue 
notices of violation to owners, developers, or managers of projects that 
are violative of zoning ordinances.
The C/MLUPC may call upon any local official concerned such 
as C/MPDC, city/municipal agriculturist, city/municipal environment 
and natural resources officer, city/municipal engineer, city/municipal 
assessor, or any official of national agencies during discussions on land 
use and physical planning concerns. LGUs without operational 
C/MPDC as mandated by RA 7160, as amended, shall activate their 
respective councils within six (6) months from the effectivity of this 
Act.
CHAPTER VI
ADOPTION, APPROVAL AND REVIEW OF 
LOCAL LAND USE AND PHYSICAL FRAMEWORK PLANS
SEC. 26. Approval and Review of PPFDP and CLUPs. - The 
PPFDP, CLUPs and zoning ordinances of the respective LGUs, 
including provinces, highly urbanized cities and independent 
component cities, shall be submitted by the local land use committees
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to the local development councils for transmission to their respective 
local Sanggunian for approval.
SEC. 27. Provinces and Independent and Highly Urbanized 
Cities. - Provinces and independent and highly urbanized cities shall 
have the power and authority to adopt and approve their respective 
CLUPs, zoning ordinances or provincial physical framework plan, as 
the case may be, through their respective Sanggunian but subject to the 
review of the RLUPC.
CHAPTER VII
MAPPING AND DATA MANAGEMENT 
FOR LAND USE PLANNING
SEC. 28. National Base Mapping Program. - A national 
mapping program shall be implemented, coordinated, and monitored 
through the creation of an Inter-agency Technical Committee (ITC) 
composed of the NAMRIA, as the lead agency, BSWM, the Forest 
Management Bureau (FMB), the Land Management Bureau (LMB), 
the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB), the Mines and 
Geosciences Bureau (MGB), the Philippine Institute of Volcanology 
and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), DAR, the National Water Resources 
Board (NWRB), Department of Energy (DOE), NEDA, Philippine 
Statistics Authority (PSA), University of the Philippines Resilience 
Institute (UPRI), NCIP, and other concerned government 
agencies/bureaus. The ITC shall be constituted, and the mapping 
program shall be initiated, within thirty (30) days from the effectivity 
of this Act. The agencies mentioned in this Section shall finish their 
base mapping program within one (1) year upon the effectivity of this 
Act.
For purposes of uniformity and standardization, the LGUs, to be 
assisted by the appropriate agencies of the national government, shall 
likewise prepare their respective territorial maps using scales, symbols, 
and other indicators to be prescribed in accordance with this Act. The 
completed maps shall be integrated in the NPFP.
SEC. 29. National Geospatial Information Program. - Within 
one (1) year upon the effectivity of this Act, the NAMRIA, in
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coordination with BSWM, FMB, LMB, BMB, MGB, PHIVOLCS, 
DAR, NWRB, NCIP, DOE, NEDA, PSA, UPRI, and other concerned 
government agencies or bureaus shall complete the updating of base 
maps including national disaster risk maps. These base maps and 
corresponding geospatial data shall be shared and disseminated to all 
agencies and LGUs to serve as reference in plan preparation and other 
planning activities.
SEC. 30. National Hazard Mapping Program. - Within thirty 
(30) days from the effectivity of this Act, a nationwide hazard mapping 
and probabilistic hazard risk assessment program shall be initiated 
jointly through the NLUC by the PHIVOLCS, the Philippine 
Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration 
(PAGASA), NAMRIA, MGB, BSWM, DOE, and UPRI, in 
coordination with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and 
Management Council (NDRRMC), the Regional Disaster Risk 
Reduction and 1 Management Council (RDRRMC), NCIP, NCCA, 
and other concerned government agencies. The program shall include 
the generation of indicative hazard zoning maps that will outline areas 
in the Philippines which are prone to liquefaction, landslides, severe 
flooding, lahar, ground rupturing, tsunami, river erosion, coastal 
erosion, sinkhole collapse, earthquake, lava 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 hazard zoning maps in their 
respective CLUPs. Said hazard maps shall serve as guide for all the 
LGUs in the preparation of their own hazards-constrained development 
plans. The NPFP, pursuant to Section 5 hereof, shall incorporate these 
hazard maps.
All infrastructure activities including real estates and subdivision 
projects and the development of tourist spots requiring an 
Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) shall be required to 
submit an Engineering Geological and Geo-hazard Assessment Report 
(EGGAR).
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SEC. 31. Basic and Applied Research for Science and 
Technology Development. — Within one (1) year from the effectivity of 
this Act, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), in 
coordination with concerned agencies, academe, and research 
organizations, shall formulate a research agenda that will support 
physical framework and land use planning.
SEC. 32. Scope and Nature of Responsibilities of Other National 
Government Agencies. - All concerned national government agencies 
shall periodically report to the NLUC on the various activities and 
accomplishments on land use, including their respective sectoral or 
development plans. The NLUC may call upon the agencies for 
technical and administrative support.
SEC. 33. Monitoring of CLUP Implementation. - The DHSUD 
shall design and install an information system for monitoring the actual 
use of land resources, the reclassification of agricultural lands 
authorized by cities and municipalities, and the implementation of 
CLUPs of LGUs with a view to ensuring the compliance with national 
policies, standards and guidelines: Provided, That the system shall be 
developed in coordination with DA, DAR, DILG, DENR, DPWH, 
NED A, league of provinces, league of cities, league of municipalities, 
other concerned national government agencies, academe, and research 
organizations.
SEC. 34. Submission of Annual Report on the Implementation of 
CLUPs. - The C/MLUPC shall submit an annual report on the 
implementation of their land use plans to the PLUPC, which shall 
integrate the same for submission to the RLUPC, which shall in turn 
integrate the provincial reports for submission to the NLUC.
CHAPTER VIII
SPECIAL AREAS OF CONCERN 
Article 1
Agricultural Lands
SEC. 35. Priority Areas for Agricultural Development. - Priority 
areas for agricultural development shall be those agricultural areas
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covered under RA 6657 and those covered under NPAAAD and
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SAFDZ, defined in Section 4 of this Act and in RA 8435 or the
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“Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Acf’.
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SEC. 36. Conversion of Agricultural Lands. - Prime agricultural
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lands and specific types of lands to the extent necessary for attaining
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food self- sufficiency in rice and food security in other basic
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commodities, as determined by the DA, subject to mandatory
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consultation with the LGUs, the private sector, the NGOs, and POs,
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shall be protected from conversion, which shall include but not limited
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to areas under the NPAAAD and SAFDZ; Provided, That all irrigated
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and irrigable lands, all lands developed or possessing the potential for
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development of high value crops, and all agricultural lands that are
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ecologically fragile and whose conversion will result in serious
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environmental problems shall be given full protection from conversion,
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the areas under which are subject to review every six (6) years by the
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DA, with the mandatory public consultations: Provided further. That
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consistent with the State policy on giving priority to the completion of
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the comprehensive agrarian reform program, all lands subject to the
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comprehensive agrarian reform program including those lands covered
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under notice of compulsory acquisition or voluntary offer to sell,
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production or profit-sharing, or commercial farm deferment shall also
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be protected from conversion pending the distribution and installation
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of the farmer beneficiaries, but thereafter, Section 22 of RA 9700 shall
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apply: Provided furthermore. That the conversion of prime agricultural
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lands for use in priority government projects for basic services such as,
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but not limited to, irrigation and power shall be allowed only upon the
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recommendation of the Secretaries of the DA and the DAR: Provided,
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finally. That the mapping of the NPAAAD under the RA 8435 shall be
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completed within one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act. Lands
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defined under Section 10 of RA 6657 shall remain exempted and
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excluded from the coverage of the comprehensive agrarian reform
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program. With due consideration of the above-mentioned conditions
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that provides for the full protection of prime agricultural land, only
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then, upon approval by the DAR of the application for conversion,
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agricultural lands are deemed converted to non-agricultural uses.
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SEC. 37. Sub-classification or Reclassification of Agricultural
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Lands by LGUs. - Sub-classification or re-classification of agricultural
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lands to other uses under Section 20 of RA 7160 shall exclude the 
protected agricultural lands as stated in the preceding section. 
Moreover, such sub-classification or reclassification is not 
synonymous to conversion. Further, such sub-classification or re­
classification shall not result to land uses that are in conflict with the 
prescriptions of the watershed management plans. The DA and DAR 
shall provide the LGUs with complete list and maps of protected 
agricultural lands within their territorial jurisdictions.
Article 2
Forest Lands and Watershed
SEC. 38. Reversion of Alienable and Disposable Lands to 
Forestlands. - Upon the recommendation of the Secretary of the 
DENR, duly reviewed and endorsed by the NLUC, and after due 
consultations with the concerned LGUs and affected parties. Congress 
may authorize the reversion of alienable and disposable lands of the 
public domain or portion thereof to forestlands, unless they are covered 
by existing titles, or actually occupied openly, continuously, adversely, 
and publicly for a period required by law: Provided, That, when public 
interest so requires, steps shall be taken to expropriate such lands, 
cancel defective titles, or eject occupants thereof Thereafter, said lands 
shall be included in the preparation of land use plans within forestlands.
SEC. 39. Critical Watershed Areas. - The DENR, in 
coordination with the DA, LGUs and other government agencies, 
including government-owned and controlled corporation, and after 
mandatory public hearings or consultations, shall identify and delineate 
critical watershed areas that need to be protected, rehabilitated, 
enhanced or withdrawn from uses that contribute to their further 
degradation.
SEC. 40. Formulation and Implementation of Integrated 
Watershed Management Plans. - A Watershed Management Council 
(WMC), which is a multi-agency, inter-LGU, and multi-sectoral 
consortium, chaired by the DENR and co-chaired by the duly 
designated representative of the LGUs, shall be created at the 
provincial level to ensure effective and sustainable resource 
management of a particular watershed and provide the development
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needs of local communities, in cases where a watershed transcends 
more than one province, a WMC at the regional level shall be created.
The WMC shall prepare the Integrated Watershed Management 
Plans (IWMP) consistent with the existing DENR laws, guidelines, and 
rules and regulations. The said IWMPS shall be integrated into the 
CLUPs of the LGUs.
The DENR and the concerned LGUs shall jointly implement the 
Watershed Management Plan subject to regulatory consultations with 
and involvement of the community and other stakeholders.
SEC. 41. Establishment and Management of National Parks. - 
All areas proclaimed by the President of the Philippines and Congress 
of the Philippines to be under the NIPAS, unless disestablished, 
including those identified as initial components of the NIPAS as KB As, 
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. The preparation 
of management plans of protected areas and national parks shall be in 
accordance with the provisions of RA 7586, as amended, and other 
laws establishing or declaring specific areas as protected areas.
Article 3 
Mineral Lands
SEC. 42. Criteria for the Utilization and Allocation of Land for 
Mining Purposes. - Consistent with this Act and the provisions of RA 
7942, otherwise known as the “Philippine Mining Act of 1995”, and to 
ensure that the objectives of maintaining ecological balance and 
maximizing economic returns to mining operations are realized, the 
allocation and utilization of lands for mining purposes shall be guided 
by the following:
(a) The principles of sustainable development and responsible 
mining;
(b) In case of small-scale mining, adequate and acceptable 
safeguards shall be instituted by the holders of mining rights or permits
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to prevent environmental degradation of the mining sites and adjacent 
areas;
(c) Mineral reservations which have become non-operational as 
determined by the MGB shall be placed under appropriate surface 
management by the DENR after conducting scientific, geological, and 
environmental studies in accordance with relevant laws on mineral 
reservation establishment and de-establishment;
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(d) Natural forests, proclaimed watershed forest reserves, 
mangrove forests, and mossy forests are closed to mining operations 
pursuant to RA 7942, and other pertinent laws;
(e) Consistent with RA 7942, areas closed to mining operations 
like natural forests, proclaimed watershed forest reserves, mangrove 
forests, and mossy forests shall be periodically reviewed through 
mineral exploration to be undertaken by the DENR for the purpose of 
determining whether or not their continued closure is consistent with 
the national interest and with the prescriptions of watershed 
management plans and, if warranted, recommend their reclassification 
as mineral lands; and
(f) Protection forestlands and agricultural lands shall be exempt 
from mining activities to minimize the effect of natural calamities and 
to protect food security respectively. The small to large scale mining 
operations shall yield from and recognize the tenurial instrument given 
by the government such as original certificate of title, transfer 
certificate of title, certificate of ancestral domain title, emancipation 
patent-certificate of land ownership award and other instruments. If 
these be present, mining activity shall be allowed subject to clearances 
and consent, and: Provided, That mining activity shall not conflict with 
the prescriptions of watershed management plans and shall not have 
serious environmental and ecological problems.
SEC. 43. Reversion of Mineral Lands. - All mineral lands with 
exhausted mineral resources, as determined by the MGB upon the 
recommendation of the DENR, shall revert to its original land 
classification, that is, as forestland or agricultural land. In the case of 
forestlands, the DENR may classify such areas for other purposes in
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consultation with concerned LGUs, DOT, and other national 
government agencies, and consistent with the prescriptions of the 
watershed management plans.
Article 4 
Coastal Zones
SEC. 44. Criteria on the Allocation and Utilization of Lands 
within the Coastal Zones. - The allocation and utilization of lands 
within the coastal zones shall be guided by the following:
(a) Areas vegetated with mangrove species shall be preserved for 
mangrove protection and shall not be converted to other uses;
(b) Areas which meet all accepted criteria on elevation, soil type, 
soil depth, topography, supply for successful fishpond development, 
and are not identified as mangrove protection areas, shall be utilized 
for aquaculture purposes;
(c) Areas sub-classified as mangrove and still suitable for use as 
such, or due to environmental conditions need to be preserved as 
mangrove, but is 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 shall be allocated to traditional fisherfolk who 
are inhabitants of the coastal communities and members of legitimate 
fisherfolk organizations and/or 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 DHSUD;
(e) Areas which does not fall under (a) to (d) above may be 
devoted to recreational or tourism purposes; Provided, That such 
undertaking will not result in environmental degradation and 
displacement of small fishers;
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(f) Areas which are considered as traditional fishing grounds shall 
be used primarily for such purpose;
(g) Areas which have been allocated for small infrastructure 
needed by fisherfolk shall be allowed;
(h) 
Areas which form part of foreshore lands as defined in this 
Act including those which are under lease agreements or arrangements 
shall undergo zoning and evaluation to determine their boundaries and 
actual sizes and corresponding uses; Provided, That vested rights 
under the lease agreements or arrangements shall be respected. 
Evaluation of the said lands shall also consider the natural, geologic 
and geomorphic conditions of the coast; and
(i) The free and prior informed consent of the concerned ICCs/IPs 
and the necessary certification from the NCIP shall be secured before 
any allocation and utilization of lands within the coastal zones that are 
found to be within ancestral domains.
SEC. 45. Coastal Land Zone Sub-classification. - All public 
lands in the coastal zones are sub-classified into any of the following: 
fishponds, mangroves for protection from tidal surge and for 
preservation of biodiversity, habitats and sanctuaries for endangered 
wildlife, fisherfolk settlement, or recreational or tourism areas. No sub­
classification of coastal zones to different uses may be done without 
the following:
(a) Conduct of a comprehensive inventory and resource and 
environmental assessment by the DENR with the respective LGUs and 
accredited non-government organizations (NGOs) or people’s 
organizations (POs) within their territorial jurisdiction. The result of 
the assessment along with a list of all existing applications and expired 
foreshore lease agreements must be posted in three (3) conspicuous 
places in the affected localities; and
(b) Prior consultation with the local Fisheries and Aquatic 
Resource Management Councils pursuant to RA 8550 as amended.
SEC. 46. Zoning of Foreshore Areas. - LGUs, in coordination 
with the DENR, shall conduct zoning of their respective foreshore areas
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to assist government and community fishers identify priority areas for 
conservation and development, and to enable them to set targets for 
mangrove reforestation and rehabilitation.
SEC. 47, Protection of Waterways, Easements and Flood Plains. 
- Structures of any kind may not be built in waterways and easements. 
Pursuant to PD 1067, 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 
easement of public use only in the interest of recreation, navigation, 
floatage, fishing and salvage.
The protection of flood plains shall use the watershed 
management plan as the reference framework in formulating flood 
mitigation plan. Development within flood plains and other flood- 
prone areas must be controlled or, is 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 must be an 
integral part of Watershed Management Plan that shall guide the 
preparation of CLUPs, local climate change action plans local disaster 
risk reduction and management plans and other prescribed thematic 
plans. The LGUs shall establish land use regulations to mitigate flood 
risks through the CLUPs and zoning ordinances.
To promote the best interest and coordinated protection of flood 
plains, the DPWH, in coordination with the DOST and DENR shall 
declare flood control areas as necessary and shall prohibit or control 
activities that may damage or cause deterioration of lakes and dikes, 
obstruct the flow of water, change the natural flow of rivers, increase 
flood losses or aggravate flood problems, pursuant to PD 1067.
Article 5
Settlements Development
SEC. 48. Municipalities, Cities, and Settlements Development. — 
The development of municipalities, cities and settlements through 
CLUP and implemented by the zoning ordinances of cities and
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municipalities are guided by the urban zoning standards designed to 
maximize existing urban spaces, taking into account the studies of 
pertinent government agencies on climate change. The new and 
existing government buildings within the cities and municipalities shall 
comply with the government energy management program and the 
Inter-Agency Energy Efficiency and Conservation Committee 
resolutions.
SEC. 49. Settlements within Hazard Areas. - Settlements, in 
particular, housing or residential developments, within hazard areas 
may be allowed: Provided, That mitigating or protective measures are 
adopted to address the potential danger or risk to lives and property 
within such settlements. In coordination with the concerned agencies 
of the government such as the PHIVOLCS, PAGASA, and MGB, the 
NLUC shall provide assistance to concerned LGUs and settlers in 
instituting safety and corrective measures to address the potential 
danger or risk. Residential zones as designated in the CLUP shall not 
be considered as outside the hazard areas. However, for this purpose, 
housing projects within such areas with less than or equal to one (1) 
hectare of project area shall be exempt from the ECC as well as the 
EGGAR and may be implemented without the need for any further 
certificate of exemption from the DENR or any other government 
regulatory agency.
SEC. 50. Designation of Waste and Environment Management 
Site. - Each city or municipality shall identify, designate and allocate a 
suitable area as indicated in the watershed management plan within 
their territorial jurisdiction to serve as sanitary landfill or solid waste 
disposal site as established in its solid waste management plan pursuant 
to RA 9003 or the “Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000” 
within one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act.
SEC. 51. Network of Settlements. - The framework and policies 
for the development of network of settlements shall be provided by the 
National Physical Framework Plan formulated by the NLUC. 
Individual settlements shall be planned as part of a national network of 
settlements. The network shall be based on existing and potential 
settlements; production activities, particularly those that involve highly 
competitive industries and services and generate local employment;
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environmental constraints and sustainability considerations. Individual 
cities and municipalities shall be integrated through transportation and 
other infrastructure support facilities.
SEC. 52. Criteria for Settlement Sites. - The following shall be 
the criteria for identifying settlement areas:
(a) Within A&D lands but not in environmentally-critical, 
hazard-prone or other protection areas as assessed, identified and 
indicated in the Watershed Management Plans;
(b) Along established urban growth directions;
(c) Are already or can be provided with basic services and 
utilities;
(d) Ideally within the 0-8% slope range, but with mitigating 
measures from slope 9-17%;
(e) Reasonably accessible from existing built up areas and other 
employment centers through existing or proposed roads and other 
transportation facilities; and
Identified ICCs/IPs settlement areas shall be located within 
ancestral domains.
Hazard-prone areas shall be defined, delineated and mapped by 
the DENR and other the mandated government agencies, together with 
LGUs during the preparation of management plans of the watersheds 
that are partially or wholly inside the jurisdiction of municipality or 
city. As such, new settlements within high-risk areas shall not be 
allowed. In cases where there are existing settlements within geo­
hazard areas or high-risk areas, mitigating or protective measures shall 
be adopted to address the potential danger or risk to lives and property 
within such settlements. In coordination with the concerned agencies 
of the government, the NLUC, through the RLUPC and PLUPC, shall 
provide assistance to concerned LGUs and settlers in instituting safety 
and corrective measures to address the potential danger or risk. New 
developments within geo-hazard areas shall be required to submit an 
ECC and EGGAR consistent with the Revised Procedural Manual for
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DENR Administrative Order (DAO) No. 2003-30, otherwise known as 
the “Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for the Philippine 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) System,” and DAO No. 2000- 
28, otherwise known as the “Implementing Guidelines on Engineering 
Geological and Geohazard Assessment as Additional Requirement for 
ECC Applications covering Subdivision, Housing and other Land 
Development and Infrastructure Projects.”
3 SEC. 53. Sustainable Communities. - Each city or municipality 
or cluster of cities or municipalities, as appropriate, shall seek to follow 
the basic features of sustainable communities, as guided by the 
National Urban Development and Housing Framework: transit- 
oriented, pedestrian-biased, and multiple use, with systems and 
practices that promote water use efficiency, energy efficiency, waste 
segregation, recycling, and adequate community facilities. Cities and 
municipalities or clusters thereof shall identify, designate and allocate 
areas within their territorial jurisdiction to serve as waste disposal site 
following the provisions of RA 9003.
For energy efficiency, cities and municipalities or clusters thereof 
shall utilize energy consuming products which comply with the DOE’s 
efficiency rating and energy labeling system pursuant to the provision 
of RA 11285 or the “Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act.”
SEC. 54. Designation and Zoning of Socialized Housing Zones. 
- 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 lands 
for the housing needs of the local population, the CLUP shall be 
updated, at maximum, every twelve (12) years for provinces, cities and 
municipalities.
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 or municipality’s zoning ordinance, pursuant 
to existing laws and regulations.
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Fisherfolk settlements and housing in coastal municipalities shall 
be zoned near the sea for easy access to their livelihood as provided 
under Section 38 (d) of this Act.
The housing or residential lands designated in the CLUPs and 
zoning ordinances of cities and municipalities shall, on one hand, not 
be subject to further land reclassification by the LGU or land 
conversion procedure under DAR. On the other hand, agricultural lands 
as designated in the CLUP which are no longer economically feasible 
for agricultural use may be subject to land reclassification or land use 
conversion to housing or residential purposes and such land use 
conversion, as the case may be, shall be exempt from the coverage of 
any moratorium on land use conversion, provided such conversion 
shall not conflict with the prescriptions of watershed management plans 
and shall not result in serious environmental and ecological problems.
SEC. 55. 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 theNLUC.
Article 6 
NIP AS Areas
SEC. 56. Integrated Management Strategy. - For a more 
effective planning, management, and protection of protected areas at 
the provincial, city or municipal levels, the Protected Area 
Management Plan referred to in RA 7586, as amended, must be 
incorporated in the provincial physical framework plan and CLUPs, if 
applicable, wherein the protected area zoning must be reflected.
Article 7
Energy Resource Lands
SEC. 57. Guidelines for the Utilization and Allocation 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
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from indigenous energy resources in the most economical and 
environmentally-acceptable means are realized, the allocation and 
utilization of lands are be guided by the following, consistent with the 
existing laws, rules and regulations on energy resources:
(a) Indigenous energy resource exploration and development for 
the purpose of creating a national energy resource inventory and data 
base as well as an energy resource block map are allowed, subject to 
the prescriptions of watershed management plans and other land 
management plans
(b) Indigenous energy resource exploration, development, 
production, utilization, and distribution are subject to the appropriate 
requirements and processes of the Environmental Impact Statements 
(EIS) system. Each project must secure an 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 defined in Section 16 of this Act are closed to 
any kind of energy resource development except for installation or 
erection of power lines therein Provided, That vested rights granted 
through the Special Use Agreements in Protected Areas as granted by 
the DENR are respected;
(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 must be reclassified to other 
land uses, subject to existing laws covering energy reservations and to 
prescriptions of watershed management plans; and
(e) Renewable energy is preferred over other energy resource.
SEC. 58. Reversion of Energy Resource Lands. - All exhausted 
indigenous energy resource lands, as determined by the DOE, which 
are not covered by proclamations must automatically revert to the 
category of forestlands or agricultural lands, open to disposition, 
whichever is appropriate, unless the DENR classifies such areas for 
other purposes consistent with the prescriptions of watershed
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management plans. Exhausted energy resource lands are specific 
energy resource sites that the energy reserves of the desired type or 
types are no longer in sufficient quantity or quality to justify additional 
expenditure for its extraction and utilization.
Article 8
Industrial Development Areas or Sites
SEC. 59. Criteria for Designating Industrial Development Areas. 
- The identification and establishment of industrial development areas 
take into consideration the following criteria;
(a) Identified network of areas for agricultural development and 
protected agricultural areas pursuant to the RA 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 KBAs and restored 
areas that require protection;
(e) National and Urban Development and Housing Framework;
(f) Identified socialized housing zones;
(g) National framework for physical planning and other existing 
national programs and policies; and
(h) Prescriptions of watershed management plans
The designated industrial development areas must be located only 
in production land uses areas and shall form an integral part of the land 
use plan and zoning ordinance of the city or municipality where these 
areas are located.
Article 9
Tourism Development Areas
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SEC. 60. Designating Tourism Development Areas. - The 
identification, selection, and development of tourism development 
areas, and Tourism Enterprise Zones shall be done in consultation and 
coordination with the LGUs, TIEZA, DOT and other national 
government agencies, the private sector and the affected communities 
subject to the provisions of RA 9593, otherwise known as “The 
Tourism Act of 2009.” Tourism development areas 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, or integrated resort leisure and 
recreation complexes. Other tourism-related facilities and those 
identified in the national, regional and area-specific tourism master 
plans and other sector plans, such as ecotourism and agri-tourism sites 
are also considered as tourism development areas. The sites designated 
for tourism development must be outside of the areas identified for 
protection land use. As much as practicable, community-based tourism 
shall be the principal mode of tourist spot operation.
Designated areas for tourism development form part of the 
CLUPs and zoning ordinances of the cities or municipalities where 
these areas are located.
SEC. 61. Identification and Declaration of Areas for Protection, 
Conservation and Preservation of Cultural Heritage. - Pursuant to RA 
10066 or the “National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009”, the NHCP or 
the National Museum, the NCCA, in coordination with NCIP, DHSUD 
and other concerned agencies, local communities, and the private 
sector, shall identify declared areas and structures which shall be 
protected and preserved as part of the Philippine cultural heritage.
The LGUs in coordination with the NHCP, the NCCA and the 
Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) shall designate historical 
zones to protect the historical integrity of said geographical areas and 
cultural space of intangible cultural properties.
Declared and known archaeological sites shall likewise be 
protected by the NCCA, the DHSUD, NCIP, other concerned 
government agencies, and LGUs against modification, alteration, or 
destruction.
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Article 10
Infrastructure Development
SEC. 62. Strategic Transport Network. - The. national 
government, through the Department of Transportation, shall establish 
a strategic and sustainable multimodal transport network that provides 
connectivity within the national network of settlements. Such 
connectivity shall include linkages among existing and proposed 
priority urban centers, rural areas, production hubs and tourism zones, 
distribution centers and markets, and key international points of entry. 
It shall be developed to promote network efficiency and social service 
delivery, to catalyze areas identified critical for economic growth, 
while minimizing negative impacts to environmentally-critical and 
protected areas as identified in the watershed management plans. The 
national network of settlements, as defined in the NPFP, shall guide the 
development of a multi-modal transportation network. The network 
shall be designed and implemented to provide seamless connectivity 
among the various modes of transportation. The RPFPs, PPFDPs and 
city or municipal CLUPs shall focus on the transportation network that 
corresponds to their respective jurisdictions while maintaining 
consistency with the overall national networks.
SEC. 63. 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 NED A, in consultation 
with the national government agencies, LGUs and the private sector, 
shall identify and periodically review, update or revise the list of 
priority infrastructure projects under an over-all national strategic 
infrastructure development plan subject to the provisions of this Act, 
RA 8435 and RA 8371. The national strategic infrastructure 
development plan must 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
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integration, inter-modal transport, conveyance and logistics linkages,
2 
rural infrastructure and the development of the agriculture and fisheries
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sectors;
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(b) Upgrade existing facilities to international public safety
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standards;
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(c) Address the need for sustainable settlement development; and
(d) Mitigate the destructive effects of natural disaster-causing 
phenomena or serve as alternatives to existing infrastructure found in 
natural hazard-prone areas.
The provision and implementation of infrastructure support must 
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 must be held prior to the conduct of all infrastructure 
projects that necessarily involve dislocation or displacement of people
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in the area.
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The proponent of the infrastructure project shall follow the rules
23 
on just and humane eviction or demolition under Section 28 of RA
24 
7279 as a last resort, notwithstanding the provisions of RA 8975,
25 
prohibiting lower courts from issuing temporary restraining orders,
26 
preliminary injunctions or preliminary mandatory injunctions. The
27 
proponent shall also follow the provisions of RA 8371, particularly
28 
those pertaining to the rights of IPs or ICCs in case of displacement.
29 
The national government infrastructure projects shall, after
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determining that displacement is unavoidable, include the budgetary
31 
requirements for the adequate relocation of displaced communities.
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SEC.64. Infrastructure Projects within Geo-hazard Areas. -
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Construction of priority infrastructure projects within hazard-prone
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areas may be allowed Provided, That mitigating or preventive
36 
measures are adopted and implemented to address the potential adverse
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economic, socio-cultural and environmental impacts that emanate from
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these infrastructure projects, subject to the findings and
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recommendations of a feasibility study or environment impact
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assessment in accordance with PD 1586 and RA 4846, otherwise
2 
known as the “Cultural Properties Preservation and Protection Act.”
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Existing projects that were undertaken without the required
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environmental impact assessment and which pose a threat to the
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environment, or to the integrity of historic, archeological or
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scientifically significant areas, or impinge on critical ecosystems, and
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other areas identified in the watershed management plans may be
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terminated immediately or gradually phased-out and relocated. If the 
existing project is to be maintained within their life span, mitigating 
measures must be adopted and implemented. The rules on mandatory 
public hearings or consultations and just and humane eviction or 
demolition shall also be observed prior to the termination, gradual 
phase-out, or relocation of projects that necessarily involve dislocations 
or displacement of the people in the area.
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Article 11
Agro-industrial Development
SEC. 65. Land Consolidation for Agro-industrial Development. 
- The consolidation of small-scale agricultural landholdings shall be 
promoted to take advantage of economies of scale in agricultural 
production, to promote value chain development, and to increase farm 
incomes and improve the quality of life of farmers. A Land 
Consolidation and Utilization Program under the DA shall be 
established. The program shall implement the following;
(a) Consolidation of small contiguous landholdings into bigger 
agricultural estates for farm operations and agro-industries;
(b) Crafting of a comprehensive plan and study of the optimum 
utilization and long-term productivity of bigger landholdings;
(c) Private sector participation in agricultural production and 
management through adequate security, incentives and reasonable 
return on investments, within limits set by existing laws;
(d) Development and adoption of cooperative systems that will 
increase the participation and protection of small farmers; and
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(e) Provision of support to consolidated farms in such forms as 
farm-to-market roads, irrigation, utilities, logistics, processing 
facilities, upgrading of basic social amenities, and marketing assistance 
to farmers.
CHAPTER IX
TRAINING EDUCATION AND VALUES FORMATION
SEC. 66. Values Formation. — In order to develop a well- 
informed, responsible and committed citizenry, who value the 
protection, conservation and development of the limited land and other 
physical resources of the country, the CHED, with prior consultation 
with concerned stakeholders, may include a subject or topic on 
sustainable land use in the general education curriculum of higher 
education institutions.
SEC. 67. Information or Education Campaign and Capacity 
Building. - The NLUC shall spearhead a nationwide information or 
education campaign on land use and physical planning together with 
the loeal and national government agencies. The DHSUD, in 
coordination with DILG, CHED and other concerned ageneies 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 publie.
CHAPTER X
INCENTIVES, SANCTIONS AND PENALTIES
Article 1 
INCENTIVES
SEC. 68. Formulation of a System of Incentives and Awards. - 
The NLUC shall come out with a system of incentives and awards to 
LGUs that regularly update their CLUPs within the prescribed period, 
as follows;
(a) Provinces, highly urbanized cities, and independent 
component cities once every twelve (12) years; and
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(b) Component cities and municipalities once every twelve (12)
years.
SEC. 69. Priority in Giving Technical Assistance to LGUs. - In 
providing technical assistance and other forms of support related to 
land use management and the implementation of development plans, 
the national government agencies shall give priority to cities and 
municipalities with approved CLUPs.
Article 2
SANCTIONS AND PENALTIES
SEC. 70. Failure to Formulate, Enforce, or Implement the 
CLUPs. - Within three (3) years from the effectivity of this Act, all 
LGUs shall complete the formulation of their CLUPs.
Failure to formulate, enforce or implement the CLUPs shall be 
subject to the penalties and sanctions to be imposed by DHSUD 
pursuant to RA 11201, otherwise known as the “Department of Human 
Settlement and Development Act” and its Implementing Rules and 
Regulations. The DILG, consistent with due process, shall investigate, 
review, and impose appropriate action regarding local chief executives 
and other local officials and employees responsible for the formulation, 
enforcement, and/or implementation of the CLUPs in case of any of the 
following:
(a) Failure to implement and enforce the CLUP due to negligence 
of duty;
(b) Failure to provide appropriate budgetary allocation to effect 
its implementation; and
(c) Failure to complete the preparation and undergo review and 
approval process of the CLUP despite the availability of funds, 
resources, and support by the Sanggunian concerned.
SEC. 71. Causing Irrigated Agricultural Lands to be Idle. - Any 
person or juridical entity who shall cause any irrigated lands whether 
contiguous or not, within the protected areas for agricultural
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development, to lie idle and unproductive for a period exceeding one
2 
(1) year, unless due to force majeure, shall be subject to an idle land
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tax equivalent to five percent (5%) of the value of the agricultural land
4 
as appearing in its real property tax declaration. In addition, the violator
5 
shall be required to put back such lands to productive agricultural use.
6 
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majeure, exceed period of two (2) years, the land shall be subject to
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escheat proceedings.
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SEC. 72. Person Abetting Illegal Conversion. - Any person
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initiating, causing, inducing, or abetting illegal conversion as defined
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in Section 73(c) of RA 6657, as amended, and Section 4(z) of this Act
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shall, upon conviction, be imprisoned from seven (7) to twelve (12)
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years and imposed a fine of not less than One hundred thousand
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(P100,000.00) pesos, or both at the discretion of the court; Provided,
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That if the offender is a public official or employee, whether elected or
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appointed, the penalty shall, in addition thereto, include dismissal
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through permanent separation from the service and forfeiture of all
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benefits and entitlements accruing to the public position and perpetual
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disqualification to run or apply for any elective or appointive public
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office: Provided further. That if the offender is a juridical person, the
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penalty of imprisonment shall be imposed on the president, chief
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executive officer, manager, chairperson and all the members of the
24 
board, and other responsible officers thereof, and the fine shall be
25 
equivalent to the zonal value of the land or forty percent (40%) of the
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shareholders equity, as determined at the time of judgment whichever
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is higher, plus forfeiture of the land in favor of the State for sale though
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public auction, the proceeds of which shall automatically accrue to the
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Agrarian Reform Fund.
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SEC.73. Fine for Non-Completion and Non-Commencement of
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Development of Agricultural Lands with Approved Order of
33 
Conversion. - A landowner and designated developer or duly
34 
authorized representative who, without justifiable cause, fails to
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commence or complete the development of agricultural lands with
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approved order of conversion shall be penalized, jointly or severally,
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with any of the following fines based on the zonal value of the land at
38 
the time the fine is imposed:
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(a) On failure to commence within one (1) year from the date of
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conversion order:
(1) 
Six percent (6%) of the zonal value of the subject land 
for the first three (3) hectares;
(2) 
Fifteen percent (15%) of the zonal value of the subject 
land for the next three hectares, and
(3) 
Thirty percent (30%) of the zonal value of the subject 
land for the remaining area: Provided, That the order of 
conversion shall be deemed revoked automatically and 
the land shall revert to its original agricultural use and 
covered automatically and the land shall revert to its 
original agricultural use and covered.
(b) On failure to complete fifty percent (50%) of the approved 
conversion plan within a specified time frame. Fifty percent (50%) of 
the zonal 1 value of the subject land and the revocation of the 
conversion plan on the undeveloped portion which shall automatically 
revert to its original use as agricultural land. The same shall be covered 
under the CARP and processed for land distribution as soon as possible.
SEC. 74. Change of use from the Previously Authorized 
Conversion Order. - The landowner and future landowners of the 
property approved for conversion shall not change its use to another 
use not authorized under the Conversion Order without prior consent 
from the DAR. This prohibition extends to changes in housing 
standards, changes in selling schemes, changes from social housing to 
open market housing or vice-versa, and all other similar changes. 
Violation of which shall be penalized with revocation of Conversion 
Order and forfeiture of cash bond.
SEC. 75. Payment of Disturbance Compensation. - Following 
the order of priority as enumerated in Section 22 of RA 6657, as 
amended, qualified beneficiaries such as agricultural lessees and share 
tenants, regular farm workers, seasonal farm workers, other farm 
workers, actual tillers or occupants of public lands, collective, or 
cooperative of the above-mentioned 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
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five (5) times the average of the gross harvests on the landholding 
during the last five (5) preceding calendar years or a certain percentage 
of the converted land, whichever is higher, as determined by the DAR.
SEC. 76. Authority to Impose Fine. - The DAR shall impose the 
penalty provided for under the preceding section.
SEC. 77. Withdrawal of Local Development Permits or 
Licenses. - Upon receipt of notice from the DAR of illegal conversion, 
the concerned agencies, city or municipality shall withdraw or revoke 
any development permit or license issued to illegally converted 
agricultural lands.
SEC. 78. Penalty for Reclassification of Protected Agricultural 
Lands and Exceeding the Limit of Areas Allowed for Reclassification. 
- 7\ny person initiating, causing, inducing or abetting the 
reclassification to non-agricultural uses of protected agricultural areas 
as defined in this Act shall be punished with imprisonment of twelve 
(12) years or a fine of not less than One hundred thousand Pesos 
(PI 00,000.00), or both, at the discretion of the court.
If the offender is a public official or employee, whether elected 
or appointed, the penalty includes dismissal from the service, forfeiture 
of entitlements accruing to the public position, and perpetual 
disqualification to run or apply for any elective or appointive position.
If the offender is a juridical person, the president, chief executive 
officer, manager, chairperson, members of the board and other officers 
who directly participated in the violation of this Section shall be held 
liable.
The same penalty is applicable to persons who are responsible for 
exceeding the limits set forth under Section 20 of RA 7160 pertaining 
to reclassification of lands.
SEC. 79. Utilization of Fines. - The fines collected under 
Sections 71, 72 and 77 of this Act shall accrue to the Agrarian Reform 
Fund and shall be used for the purpose for which the fund is established.
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CHAPTER XI
TRANSITORY AND FINAL PROVISIONS
SEC. 80. Convening of the NLUC. - Within thirty (30) days from 
the effectivity of this Act, the chairperson shall convene the NLUC.
SEC. 81. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within six (6) 
months from the effectivity of this Act, the NLUC shall promulgate the 
rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this Act.
SEC. 82. Congressional Oversight Committee on the Land Use 
Act. - There is hereby created ajoint congressional oversight committee 
to monitor the implementation of this Act. The committee shall be 
composed of seven (7) senators and seven (7) representatives to be 
appointed by the Senate President and Speaker of the House of 
Representatives, respectively. The members from the Senate shall be 
appointed based on proportional representation of the parties or 
coalitions therein, with at least two (2) senators representing the 
minority.
Likewise, the representatives from the House of Representatives 
shall be appointed based on proportional representation of the parties 
or coalitions therein with at least two (2) Members representing the 
minority. The mandate given to the joint congressional oversight 
committee under this Act shall be without prejudice to the performance 
of the duties and functions by the respective existing oversight 
committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The 
secretariat of the committee shall be drawn from the existing secretariat 
personnel of the committees comprising the oversight.
SEC. 83. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the initial 
implementation of this Act shall be charged against the current year’s 
appropriations of the departments and agencies concerned. Thereafter, 
such amount shall be included in the annual General Appropriations 
Act.
SEC. 84. Review of the Existing Land Use Plans. - Provinces, 
cities, and municipalities with existing land use plans shall review, 
revise, reconcile, and harmonize their respective land use plans in
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accordance with the guidelines and standards issued by the NLUC 
within one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act.
SEC. 85. Non-impairment Clause. - Nothing in this Act shall 
be construed as to diminish or impair the rights recognized granted, or 
available to marginalized or the basic sectors under existing laws or to 
diminish or impair vested rights generally, including the rights of 
indigenous cultural communities and indigenous peoples as provided 
under Republic Act No. 8371.
SEC. 86. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is 
declared unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act or any provisions 
not affected thereby shall remain in full force and effect.
SEC. 87. Repealing Clause. - Sections 10 and 11 of RA 8435, 
Sections 447 (A)(2)(vii) and 458 (A)(2)(viii) of RA 7160, the pertinent 
provisions of EO 648, series of 1991, EO 72, series of 1993, EO 770, 
series of 2008, Letter of Instruction No. 1350, series of 1983, PP 2282, 
series of 1983 are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.
All other laws, orders issuance, rules and regulations inconsistent 
herewith are repealed or modified accordingly.
SEC. 88. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general 
circulation.
Approved,
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