Q. 
THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
First Regular Session 
1 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
n{]!$ 
j#j 3f) p “i :t$5 
V 
S E N A T E  
S.B. No. 
Introduced by SENATOR LUISA “LOI” P. EJERCITO ESTRADA 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
A comprehensive national land use policy is certainly among the essential key 
factors in our collective pursuit of growth and development. The fact that there appears 
to be an absence of such policy partly explains our country’s inability to move forward as 
it fails to justly provide for a rational, holistic and just allocation and utilization, 
management and development of the country’s land resources that will truly ensure their 
optimum use consistent with the principle of sustainable development. 
The proposed measure aims to critically address this predicament with the 
establishment of a “National Land Use Policy” that will institutionalize judicious and 
effective land use through provision of appropriate implementing mechanisms and 
strategies. 
Through this measure, there shall finally be an adoption of a land use and 
allocation pattern that promotes and ensures, among others: 
a) protection of prime agricultural lands; 
b) rational population distribution and settlements; 
c) energy security or energy self sufficiency through sustainable and priority 
development of indigenous energy resources; 
d) an integrated approach to the utilization and management of water as a limited 
resource that will complement and support sustainable land utilization and 
ensure water security; 
., 
. 
, 
e) and others. 
There is so much hope once such policy is institutionalized. Hence, immediate 
passage of this proposed measure is earnestly sought. 
LUISA “LOI” 
EJERCITO ESTRADA 
Senator 


.
.
 I 
THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
1 
6 
1, 
SENATE 
~~~~~~~~~ 
BY : 
2
,
 
S.B. No. 
Introduced by SENATOR LUISA "LOI" P. EJERCITO ESTRADA 
AN ACT 
INSTITUTING A 
NATIONAL 
LAND 
USE 
POLICY, 
PROVIDING 
THE 
IMPLEMENTING MECHANISMS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assem bled. 
CHAPTER I 
INTRODUCTORY PROVISSONS 
SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known and cited as the "National Land Use 
Act of the Philippines." 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policies and Principles. - 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 resources to ensure their optimum use consistent with 
the principle of sustainable development. 
Toward this end, the State shall adopt a land use and allocation pattern that 
promotes and ensures: 
Protection of prime agricultural lands for food production activities and ' 
highest priority to the completion of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform 
Program (CARP); 
Food security in basic food commodities with emphasis on self-sufficiency 
in rice and corn production through efficient and sustainable use of land 
resources consistent with the principles of sound agricultural development, 
natural resources development, and agrarian reform; 
Sustainable development, management and utilization of natural resources, 
and maintenance and preservation of environmental integrity and stability; 
Rational population distribution and settlements development; 


Equitable and sustainable economic growth, and balanced and dispersed 
industrial and tourism development guided by the principles of agrarian 
reform, urban land reform, and rural development; 
.
.
 . 
Energy security or energy self-sufficiency through sustainable and priority 
development of indigenous energy resources; 
Harmony between the rights and the varied interests of every Filipino 
within the framework of people empowerment, decentralization, social 
justice, and equity; 
Respect and protection of the sustainable traditional resource rights of the 
indigenous cultural communities/indigenous peoples (ICCdIPs) 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; 
Protection of the rights of basic sectors to ensure equitable access to the 
country's land and other resources through state regulation of land 
valuation to prevent uncontrolled land speculation resulting in tremendous 
increase in land pricing; and 
An integrated approach to the utilization, allocation, development and 
management of water as a limited resource that will complement and 
support sustainable land utilization, and ensure water security. 
It is also the policy of the State to institutionalize land use and physical planning 
as a mechanism for identifying, determining, and evaluating alternative land use patterns. 
This shall be supported by a national land use allocation system and a land resource 
information and management system. 
Guided by the principle that the use of land bears a social function and that all 
economic agents shall contribute to the common good, landowners shall be held 
responsible for developing and conserving their lands thereby making their lands 
productive and supportive of environmental stability. 
2 


Multiple land usage is also encouraged to optimize utilization of our, country's 
varied, but limited, resources. 
1 
b 
SEC. 3. Scope. - This Act shall apply to all lands whether public, private, or 
government-owned, and/or in the possession of individuals, communities, or groups of 
people, to guide and/or govern the use, allocation, and management of land resources 
including such activities which bear impact on said resources. 
.. . 
, 
SEC. 4. Definitions. - As used in and for purposes of this Act, the following 
terms shall mean: 
(a) 
"Agricultural Lands" refer to lands devoted to or suitable for the 
cultivation of the soil, planting of crops, growing of fruit trees, raising of 
livestock, poultry, fish or aquaculture production, including the harvesting 
of such farm products, and other farm activities and practices performed in 
conjunction with such farming operations by persons whether natural or 
juridical and not classified by law as mineral land, forest land, residential 
land, commercial land, or industrial land; 
(b) 
"Agricultural Land Use Conversion" refers to the undertaking of any 
development activities which modify or alter the physical characteristics 
of agricultural lands to render them suitable for non-agricultural purposes 
with an approved order of conversion issued exclusively by the Land Use 
Policy Administration upon the recommendation of the Department of 
Agrarian Reform (DAR); 
(c) 
"Alienable and Disposable Lands" refer to lands of the public domain 
which have been delineated, classified and certified as such and available 
for disposition under Commonwealth Act No. 141, as amended, otherwise 
known as "The Public Land Act"; 
(d) 
"Ancestral Domains" refer to all areas generally belonging to indigenous 
cultural communities/indigenous peoples (ICCs/Ps) as defined in 
Republic Act No. 8371, otherwise known as "The Indigenous Peoples 
Rights Act of 1997" or "IPRA"; 
(e) 
"Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP)" refers to a document embodying 
a set of policies accompanied by maps and similar illustrations which 
3 


represent the community-desired pattern of population distribution and a 
proposal for the future allocation of land to the various land-using 
activities, in accordance with the social and economic objectives of the 
people. It identifies the location, character and extent of the area's land 
resources to be used for different purposes and includes the process and 
the criteria employed in the determination of the land use. It incorporates 
the protected areas including the protected agricultural lands provided for 
in Sec. 33 hereof; 
(0 
"Comprehensive Land Use Planning" refers to the act of defining the 
allocation, utilization, development, and management of all lands within a 
given territory OF jurisdiction according to the inherent characteristics of 
the land itself and supportive of sustainable, economic, demographic, 
socio-cultural and environmental objectives as an aid to decision-making 
and legislation; 
(g) 
"Coastal AredZone" is a band of dry land and adjacent sea or ocean space 
(water and submerged land) in which terrestrial processes and uses directly 
affect marine or oceanic processes and uses, and vice versa. Its landward 
limit shall be two (2) kilometers from the shoreline at highest high tide, to 
include mangrove swamps, brackish water ponds, nipa swamps and 
estuarine rivers, and its seaward limit shall be up to the 200-meter isobath, 
to include sandy beaches, coral reefs, algal flats, seagrass beds and other 
soft-bottom areas; 
(h) 
"Customary Laws'' refer to a body of written and/or unwritten rules, 
usages, customs and practices traditionally and continually recognized, 
accepted, and observed by respective ICCs/IPs consistent with the PRA; 
(i) 
"Development Plan" refers to a document which defines the activities or 
measures that the national government or local government units (LGUs) 
intend to implement in order to achieve a defined set of development 
goals. It integrates the socio-economic and sectoral plans of the national 
government or its instrumentality or a particular LGU with spatial plans 
such as land use or physical framework plans. It may include an analysis 
of problems and resources, definition of goals and objectives, policy 
guidelines, project and target achievements, and an implementation 
*
.
 . 
4 


mechanism which defines the roles and contributions expected from the 
government and the private sector. 
0) 
"Disaster-prone Areas" refer to areas frequently visited and/or prone to 
experience weather/climatic, hydrologic, geologic and other natural 
calamities; 
(IC) 
"Ecologically-fragile Lands" refer to lands within the critical watershed, 
brackish and freshwater wetlands, pasture lands and croplands which 
require rehabilitation and whose continued unsustainable use would 
adversely affect the productivity of lowland agricultural areas and the 
stability of the upland system and the viability of other areas; 
(1) 
"Energy Resources" refer to surface or subsurface substances, which serve as 
energy sources. These are traditionally mineral fuel deposits such as coal, 
petroleum, natural gas or resources from geothermal or hydro reservoirs, 
or non-conventional sources such as ocean waves, solar, wind, biomass, 
and other similar resources which serve the same purpose; 
.
.
 . 
(m) 
"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; 
(n) 
"Environmentally Critical Areas" refer to areas declared by law or 
presidential issuance as: (a) protected areas pursuant to Republic Act No. 
7586 or the "NIPAS Act of 1992"; (b) areas for watershed reserves; (c) 
areas set aside as aesthetic potential tourist spots; (d) areas which 
constitute the habitat for any endangered or threatened species of 
indigenous Philippine wildlife (flora and fauna); (e) areas of unique 
historic, archeological and scientific interests; (0 areas that are 
traditionally occupied by the ICCs/IPs; (g) areas with critical slopes; (h) 
areas frequently visited and/or hard hit by natural calamities (geologic 
hazards, floods, typhoons and volcanic activities); (i) areas classified as 
prime agricultural lands; 0) recharge areas of aquifers; (k) water bodies; 
(1) mangrove areas; (m) coral reefs; (n) mossy and virgin forests; (0) rivers 
and river banks; (p) swamp forest and marshlands; (4) foreshore lands; and 
(r) small islands five thousand (5,000) hectares and below in size. For 
5 


purposes of this Act, this term shall also refer to other terrestrial, aquatic 
and marine areas that need special protection and conservation measures 
because they are ecologically fragile or they are needed for food security 
and food self-sufficiency as determined by concerned agencies and local 
government units in consultation with the concerned sectors; 
(0) "Exhausted Energy Resource Lands" refer to specific energy resource sites 
whose energy reserves of the desired type(s) are no longer in sufficient 
quantity or quality to justify additional expenditure for their extraction and 
utilization; 
(p) 
"Exhausted Mineral Lands" refer to specific sites whose mineral deposits 
are no longer insufficient quantity or quality to justify additional 
expenditure for their extraction and utilization. 
(9) 
"Food Self-sufficiency" refers to the policy objective of meeting the food 
requirements through intensive local food production in a sustainable 
manner based on the country's existing and potential resource endowments 
and related production advantages; 
.
.
 . 
(r) 
"Food Security" refers to the policy objective, plan and strategy of meeting 
the food requirements of the present and future generations of Filipinos in 
quantity, ensuring the availability, accessibility and affordability of food to 
all, either through local production or importation, or both, based on the 
country's existing and potential resource endowment and related 
production advantages, and consistent with the overall national 
development objectives and policies; 
(s) 
"Forestlands" refer to those lands of the public domain which have been 
subjected to land evaluation and classification and have been legally 
designated as such for production forest and protectiodamenity forest. 
They include the public forest, the permanent forest or forest reserves, and 
forest reservations; 
(t) 
"Foreshore Land" refers to a string of land that margins a body of water or 
the shore between the lowest low waterline of a low tide terrace and the 
upper limit of wave wash at highest high tide, usually marked by a beach 
scarp or berm; 
6 


(u) 
"Geo-hazard Areas" refer to areas where natural or man-induced 
geological processes that have the potential to cause destruction and pose 
threat or risk to man's life and property take place; 
i 
(v) 
"Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/Ps)" refer 
to a group of people or homogenous societies defined under Republic Act 
No. 8371, otherwise known as "The Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 
1997" or "IPRA"; 
(w) 
"Indigenous Energy Resources" refer to energy resources, which originate 
or occur naturally in the Philippines; 
(x) 
"Inland Waters" refer to waters which are not coastal and marine waters 
not subject to acquisitive prescription consistent with the provisions of 
Presidential Decree No. 1067, otherwise known as "The "Water Code of 
the Philippines"; 
(y) 
"Land" refers to resources, both natural and man-made, found on the 
surface, below and above the ground including inland waters and the air 
therein; 
(z) 
"Land Subclassification" refers to the act of determining and assigning the 
uses of classified.public lands such as .forest or timber lands, national 
parks and mineral lands in accordance with existing laws; 
(aa) 
"Land Use" refers to the manner of utilizing the land, including its 
allocation, development and management; 
(bb) 
"Land Use Classification" refers to the act of delineating or 
allocating lands according to protection land use, production land 
use, settlements development, infrastructure development, and 
other land uses as defined and provided for in this Act; 
(cc) 
"Land Use Policy Administration (LWA)" refers to an 
administrative, regulatory and quasi-judicial body provided for 
under this Act which shall be the final authority in all matters 
relating to land use planning; 
7 


(dd) 
"Mandatory 
public 
hearings/consultations" 
refers 
to 
' the 
mechanism for ensuring the involvement of the affected 
stakeholders in land use planning from local to national level. It 
involves giving notice of hearing/consultation to affected 
stakeholders by publication or posting in conspicuous cases, 
conduct of reasonable number of hearings, solicitation of positions 
and public presentation and validation of the planning results 
before its finalization; 
(ee) 
"Mineral Lands" refer to lands where mineral resources are found; 
(ff) 
"National Parks" refer to land of the public domain classified as 
such in the 1987 Philippine Constitution which include all areas 
under the National Integrated Protected Areas System pursuant to 
Republic Act No. 7586 or the "NIPAS Act of 1992"; 
(gg) 
"Non-agricultural Land Use Conversion" refers to the act of 
changing the current use of a piece of non-agricultural land into 
some other uses; 
(hh) 
"Non-Government Organization (NGO)" refers to a private, non- 
profit voluntary organization that is committed to the task of 
political, socio-economic, physical, cultural and environmental 
development and established primarily to provide service to 
marginalized sectors in these areas; 
(ii) "People's Ofganization (PO)" refers to a private, ion-profit, VOiuitarY 
and community-based organization established primarily to 
provide service to its members and the community in general; 
(jj) 
"Physical Framework Plans" refer to indicative plans based on 
comprehensive land use plans (CLUPs) and national policies 
whether national, regional, or provincial which provide policy 
guidelines for all decisions relating to land use and environmental 
management to prevent or mitigate the adverse effects of 
inappropriate resource utilization on food security, the people's 
welfare and their environment. It embodies both policies and 
strategies necessary to carry out development goals and objectives; 
8 


(I&) 
"Premature or Illegal Conversion of Agricultural Land" refers to 
the undertaking of any activity whose results will modify or alter 
the physical characteristics of agricultural lands to render them 
suitable for non-agricultural purposes without an approved order of 
conversion from the LUPA. 
.
.
 
~ 
(11) 
"Prime Agricultural Lands" refer to lands that can be used for various 
or specific agricultural activities and can provide optimum and 
sustainable yield with a minimum of inputs and development costs; 
"Production Land Use" refers to the direct and indirect utilization 
of land to generate outputs resulting from the following activities: 
agricultural, fish farming or aquaculture, timber or agro-forestry, 
grazing and pasture, mining, industrial, tourism, and indigenous 
energy resource development; 
"Protected Area" refers to identified portions of land and water set 
aside by reason of their unique physical and biological 
significance, managed to enhanced biological diversity and 
protected against destructive human exploitation pursuant to 
Republic Act No. 7586 or the "NIPAS Act of 1992". For purposes 
of this Act, it shall include agricultural lands identified and 
delineated under Sec. 33 hereof; 
"Protection Land Use" refers to the utilization of land primarily for 
the rehabilitation, conservation and protection purposes and the 
promotion of the country's ecological and life-support systems; 
"Public Domain" refers to lands belonging to the State which may 
either be agricultural, forest or timber, mineral or national park as 
provided for in the Constitution; 
.
.
 
"Public Lands" refer to lands which have not been subject to 
private property rights or subject to sale or other modes of 
acquisition of concession, under the general laws, and are devoted 
to public use; 
9 


"
1
 
"Resettlement Areas" refer to areas identified by the appropriate 
national agency or by the local government unit with respect to 
areas within its jurisdiction, which shall be used for the relocation 
of the underprivileged, homeless citizens, and informal settlers; 
"Settlement" refers to the habitat, community or built-up 
environment where people prefer to live in; 
.
.
 . 
"Settlements Development" refers to any improvement on existing 
settlements, or any proposed development of certain areas for 
settlement purposes. 
It also involves the spatial distribution of 
population, identification of the roles and functions of key urban 
centers and determination of relationships among settlement areas, 
and the provision of basic services and facilities of identified major 
settlement areas or growth centers; 
"Shoreline" is the line where shore and water meet. "Shore" is the 
narrow strip of land in immediate contact with any body of water, 
including the area between high and low water lines; 
"Socialized Housing" refers to housing programs and projects 
undertaken by the Government or the private sector for the 
underprivileged, homeless citizens, and informal settlers which 
shall include sites and services development, long-term financing, 
liberalized terms on interest payments, and such other benefits in 
accordance with the provisions of Republic Act No. 7279, 
otherwise known as the "Urban Development and Housing Act of 
1992" (UDHA); 
"Socialized Housing Zones'' refer to lands identified and 
designated by the local government units as sites for socialized 
housing pursuant to Article IV of Republic Act No. 7279 and its 
implementing guidelines; 
I 
.
.
 ~ 
"Sub-classification or reclassification of agricultural lands" refers 
to the process undertaken by the local government units of 
allocating in their respective territorial jurisdictions the declared 
agricultural lands to specific uses such as residential, industrial or 
10 


, 
U 
commercial purposes. It shall serve as one of the bases for 
application for land conversion by the owners thereof and shall 
constitute the power of the local government units to reclassify 
lands under Sec. 20 of Republic Act No. 7160, otherwise known as 
the "Local Government Code of 1991" consistent with the 
provisions of this Act; 
(yy) 
"Sustainable development'' refers to the development objective of 
meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability 
of future generations to meet their own needs consistent with the 
principles of social equity, efficiency and environmental integrity; 
.
.
 ~ 
(zz) 
"Tourism Development Areas" refer to specific sites for tourism 
development located in areas identified as priorities in the national 
and regional tourism master plans as well as those designated 
through legislative and executive issuances as tourist spots and 
tourist zones which can be developed into tourism estates or 
integrated resort, leisure and recreation complexes, and other 
tourism related facilities; 
(aaa) "Tourism Estates" refer to large tracts of land with well- 
defined boundaries in any area identified in the Philippine 
Tourism Master Plan, Regional Tourism Master Plans, by 
proclamation of the President and/or by acts of Congress 
including local and integrated tourism and resort complex 
including but not limited to accommodation facilities, food 
and beverages outlets, convention and meeting areas, 
sports, recreational and leisure centers and commercial 
outlets among others. The estate shall be under one unified 
and continuous management; 
(bbb) "Tourist Zone" refers to a geographic area with well- 
defined boundaries proclaimed as such by the President 
and/or by acts of Congress and is established for the 
enhancement and/or the conservation of natural attributes 
and man-made resources as well as the preservation of 
cultural and historical heritage for the appreciation and 
enjoyment of the local population and the visitors; 
.
.
 I 
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'1 
(ccc) "Tourist Spot" refers to a particular area, site or spot, 
whether man-made or natural, known for its unique tourist 
or visitor drawing attributes and activities. It may be 
classified according to its social, cultural, natural, historical, 
scientific, religious and recreational significance; 
(ddd) "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; 
(eee) "Urbanizable areas" refer to sites and lands which, 
considering 
present 
characteristics 
and 
prevailing 
conditions, display marked and great potential of becoming 
urban areas within the period of five ( 5 )  years; 
.
.
 
~ 
(fff) 
"Water security" is sufficient access throughout the year to 
the minimum daily requirement of clean water to maintain a 
healthy life; 
(ggg) "Water .Use" is the appropriation of water for domestic, 
municipal, irrigation, power generation, inland fisheries, 
poultry 
and 
livestock, 
industrial 
and 
commercial, 
environmental, and recreational use; 
(hhh) "Watershed" refers to a catchment area or drainage basin 
from which the waters of a stream or stream system are 
drawn; 
(iii) 
"Zoning1' refers to the regulatory tool for delineating the 
specific uses of lands in accordance with the approved 
comprehensive land use plan 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, 
(jjj) 
"Zoning Ordinance (ZO)" refers to a local legislation 
approving the development/land use plan and providing for 
12 
'. . 
, 


f 
the regulations and other conditions on the uses of land 
including the limitation on the infrastructure that may be 
placed within the territorial jurisdiction of a city or 
municipality. It incorporates the protected areas under 
Section 14 (a) and the protected agricultural lands under 
Section 33 hereof. 
CHAPTER I1 
NATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR LAND USE PLANNING 
Article One 
Physical Framework and Land Use Plans 
* 
SEC. 5. National Land Use Planning and Zoning Guidelines and Standards. - 
Within six (6) months from the effectivity of the Act, the Land Use Policy 
Administration (LUPA), created under this Act, shall, in consultation with the concerned 
stakeholders through mandatory conduct of public hearings, formulate national land use 
planning and zoning guidelines and standards which shall guide the local government 
units (LGUs) in formulating their Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUPs) and enacting 
.
.
 
their zoning ordinances (ZOs). Standards and guidelines on land use shall be set at the 
national level for major island groupings based on available data provided by the existing 
mapping program. The guidelines and standards shall, among others, include: (a) the 
implementing rules and regulations of this Act; (b) the delineated protected areas 
including the agricultural lands that are given protection under Section 33 of this Act 
which areas shall be incorporated in the following plans and shall not be subject to 
reduction except by laws or issuances from the concerned national agencies; and, (c) the 
spatial implications of relevant national policies, national development plan, and existing 
sectoral plans which are consistent with the provisions of this Act. 
SEC. 6. City and Municipal Land Use Plans. - Consistent with the preceding 
section and in consultation with the concerned stakeholders through mandatory conduct 
of public hearings, the cities and the municipalities through their local development 
councils shall prepare their respective CLUPs to determine the specific uses of their land 
and other physical resources, including the delineation of actual boundaries on the ground 
on the territorial jurisdiction of the city or municipality and the translation and integration 
of sectoral plans in their respective plans. Protected areas pursuant to Section 14 and 
other existing laws and issuances as well as the agricultural lands identified and 
delineated under Section 33, and the identified socialized housing sites under Sections 58 
13 


and 59 hereof shall be incorporated in the CLUPs but the respective LGUs shall not 
diminish the areas included therein. 
SEC. 7. Provincial and Regional Physical Framework Plans. - In consultation 
with the concerned stakeholders through mandatory conduct of public hearings, the 
Provincial Development Council (PDC) and the Regional Land Use Committee (RLUC) 
as provided for in Section 25 hereof shall prepare their respective provincial and regional 
physical framework plans (PPFPs and RPFPs) which shall consolidate, integrate, 
harmonize, and reconcile the land use plans of the component cities and municipalities of 
respective provinces or the land use plans of respective provinces and independent and 
highly urbanized cities located in the concerned regions, as the case may be, based on the 
preceding standards and guidelines as well as the city and municipal CLUPs. 
SEC 8. Land Use Plans for Ancestral Domains. - Land use plans for the 
delineated and recognized ancestral domains shall be formulated by the indigenous 
cultural communitieshdigenous peoples (ICCs/IPs) themselves in accordance with their 
particular needs and traditional resource and management systems with the assistance of 
the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and the LGUs concerned. Such 
plans shall be recognized and integrated in the CLUPs as well as in the provincial, 
regional and national physical framework plans. CLUPs or physical framework plans 
made prior to delineation of ancestral domains included in such plans or ordinances shall 
be without prejudice to the right of the ICCs/Ps Concerned to adopt different land use 
categories in accordance with their particular needs and traditional resource .and 
management systems. 
SEC. 9. National Physical Framework Plan. - Based on the completed CLUPs, 
the PPFP, and the RPFP, the LUPA may revise the standards and guidelines in Section 5 
hereof, except with respect to the delineated and protected areas which may be subject to 
review every five (5) years, and formulate the National Physical Framework Plan 
(NPFP). The NPFP shall define the objectives, policies and strategies on the indicative 
uses of land and other physical resources of the country to guide and support the 
implementation of the national development plan. Upon its completion, all subsequent 
planning processes pertaining to the use of land resources shall conform to the mandatory 
provisions of the NPFP, particularly with respect to the protected areas. 
However, in case of national emergency or security, or when public interest so 
demands, as certified by the President, the LUPA is empowered to review and/or revise 
14 


the NPFP whenever necessary, without prejudice to actions that may be taken by affected. 
individuals, groups, or entities, whether public or private. 
Article Two 
Local Land Use Planning and Zoning 
SEC. 10. Basis of City/Municipality Land Use Plans. - The CLUPs of cities and 
municipalities shall be formulated in consonance with the results of mandatory 
consultations of the various stakeholders in the community and subject to the nationally 
prescribed standards and guidelines pursuant to Sections 5 and 9 hereof. 
SEC. 11. Coverage and Basis of Zoning. - Zoning shall cover all alienable and 
disposable lands, government-owned lands, and private lands in the territorial jurisdiction 
of the city or municipality incorporating those declared as protected areas including those 
areas given protection under Section 33 hereof. The zoning plan and ordinance of LGUs 
shall be based on their respective approved CLUPs. 
SEC. 12. Period to Conduct Land Use Planning and Zoning. - Within six (6) 
months from the issuance of the guidelines and standards as provided for in Section 5 of 
this Act, all cities and municipalities shall prepare and enact their respective CLUPs and 
ZOs. The actual zoning of communities based on the standards and guidelines shall be 
conducted before the approval of the NPFP. Thereafter, the CLUPs and ZOs based on 
NPFP as provided for in Section 9 hereof may be subject to review or revision every 
seven (7) years or as mandated by the LUPA. 
Article Three 
Framework for Land Use Planning 
.
.
 I 
* 
SEC. 13. Basic Land Use Planning Considerations. - In determining the various 
land uses as provided for in Section 14 hereof, the physical characteristics of the land 
including the following, shall be considered: 
(a) 
Geology, geomorphology, geologic hazards, (e.g., seismic, volcanic, mass 
movements, landslide, etc.) soil and slope; 
Demography (population size, growth and distribution); 
Food security, socio-economic and related development activities; 
(b) 
(c) 
(d) 
Energy security and self-sufficiency; 
(e) 
Existing and potential land use; 
15 


(0 
Environmental, natural resources, and other constraints; : 
(g) 
Existing government policies on land allocation, utilization, management 
and disposition. 
I
.
 
, 
.
.
 I 
SEC. 14. Categories of L'and Uses for Planning Purposes. - In determining and 
defining the NPFP, WFPsPPFPs and the CLUPs, land uses shall be grouped into four 
major functional uses as follows: 
(a) 
Protection land use - the adoption of which intends to protect, preserve 
and enhance critical ecosystems from any human encroachment, 
regenerate and rehabilitate degraded land and other physical resources, 
ensure safeguard against environmental hazards including those resulting 
from unregulated activities, and enhance and sustain the benefits derived 
from maintaining the integrity of the nation's land resources. Areas to be 
covered under this category are those under the National Integrated 
Protected Areas System (NIPAS) as provided for by R.A. No. 7506 and 
those outside the NIPAS which require rehabilitation and protection as 
identified by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources 
(DENR), in coordination with concerned LGUs and national government 
agencies (NGAs), and in consultation with concerned stakeholders; 
(b) 
Production land use - the adoption of which aims to determine the most 
efficient, sustainable, and equitable manner of utilizing, developing and 
managing land for productive purposes. Areas included under this 
category are agricultural lands even though identified and delineated as 
protected under Section 33 hereof, coastal zones excluding those declared 
by DENR and other similar government agencies that are in 
environmentally critical conditions, production forest, mineral lands, 
energy resource lands, industrial development areas, and tourism 
development areas; 
,
.
 
(c) 
Settlements development - the adoption of which seeks to promote an 
orderly, equitable, and sustainable development of human settlements 
responsive to the needs of its inhabitants and the environment. 
Classification shall be made based on the predominant economic and 
socio-cultural activities, as urban or rural, and based on the topography 
and slope of land as upland, hillside, lowland, or coastal. Major uses under 
this category shall include: residential, including relocation and 
16 


I
,
 
I 
resettlement sites for socialized housing as provided for in R.A. No. 7279 
(or the "Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992' or 'UDHA') and 
socialized housing zones; commercial, industrial; institutional, (e.g., sites 
of government offices, health and education), utilities; tourism, 
recreational, including parks, urban forests, open or green space; waste 
disposal; and roads, rail transportation networks, and facilities; 
(d) 
Infrastructure development - which shall cover areas identified by the 
LGUs, the National Economic and Development, Authority (NEDA), and 
other concerned agencies as sites for priority infrastructure projects which 
shall include, among others: power plants/stations and major substations; 
indigenous energy resource exploration and development; irrigation and 
flood control sewerage and drainage facilities; water supply system and 
treatment plants; airports/seaports/fishports; major road, bridge, and 
railway trunklines; farm-to-market roads; agricultural research and 
development farms and/or stations; waste disposal facilities; educational 
facilities; health facilities; telecommunications stationdother facilities; 
disaster mitigation facilities; and market sites: Provided, That the 
determination of functional uses of lands within ancestral domains need 
not necessarily follow the land use categories provided for in this Act and 
separate land use categories for delineated ancestral domains may be 
formulated by the concerned ICCs/Ps themselves in accordance with their 
particular needs and traditional resource and management systems, 
'. . 
, 
SEC. 15. Multiple Land Uses. - Subject to the provisions of this Act, the LUPA 
shall encourage multiple land uses as long as they are complementary and not 
incompatible with each other. 
SEC. 16. Categories of Water Uses for Planning Purposes. - For purposes of 
this Act, the categories of water uses for planning purposes shall be in accordance with 
existing laws. 
Notwithstanding such laws, the categories to be adopted must 
complement and support the foregoing categories for land use planning. Within six (6) 
months from the effectivity of this Act, after the conduct of public consultations, the 
National Water Resources Board (NWRB) and the LUPA shall jointly adopt and. issue I 
implementing guidelines, rules, and regulations that will promote the integration of sound 
water resource utilization, allocation, management, and development with the 
requirements of sustainable land use planning. 
17 


CHAPTER 111 
IMPLEMENTING STRUCTURE AMD MECHANISM 
Article One 
Land Use Policy Administration 
SEC. 17. Creation of the Land Use Policy Administration (LUPA). - The Land 
Use Policy Administration (LUPA) is hereby created which shall be the highest policy 
malting body on land use and shall perform the task of integration of efforts, monitoring 
of developments relating to land use, evolution of policies, and regulation and direction 
of land use planning processes. The powers and functions vested by law to the Housing 
and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) and to the National Land Use Committee 
(NLUC) under the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) pertaining to 
land use are hereby transferred to the LUPA. 
SEC. 18. Executive Board. - The LUPA shall have an Executive Board, 
hereinafter referred to as the Board, whose main function is to direct the implementation 
of the provisions of this Act, and shall be composed of nineteen (19) members. 
(a) 
The Executive Secretary as Chairperson; 
(b) 
The Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources 
(DENR) and the Director-General of the National Economic and 
Development Authority (NEDA) as Vice-Chairpersons; 
(c) 
The Secretaries of Agriculture; Agrarian Reform; Trade and Industry; 
Public Works and Highways; Transportation and Communications; 
Energy; Science and Technology; Tourism; Interior and Local 
Government; and Justice as members; 
(d) 
The Chairperson of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating 
Council (HUDCC) as member; 
(e) 
FOLU (4) representatives from the different basic sectors with direct 
involvement in sustainable land use such as urban poor, peasants, 
fisherfolk, and 
indigenous peoples - who shall be appointed by the 
President based on the nomination and recommendation of the sectors that 
they respectively represent - as members; 
1
.
.
 
18 


(9 
The Administrator of the LUPA, as ex-officio member, who shall likewise 
act as Secretary to the Board. 
I 
I
’
 
1 
A consultative body composed of representatives from the Leagues of 
Municipalities, Cities, and Provinces and from non-government sector such as the 
business sector, NGOs and POs, and the academic community shall likewise be convened 
every two (2) months. 
SEC. 19. Powers and Functions. - The LUPA shall have the following powers 
and functions: 
Formulate policies on, and promulgate, in consultation with all concerned 
stakeholders, national standards and guidelines on land use and zoning 
under Sections 5 and 9 hereof, and issue corresponding rules and 
regulations to enforce compliance thereof; 
’. . 
~ 
Formulate NPFP and RPFPs based on land use plans at the local levels 
that shall serve as guide in translating the national development plan and 
pertinent sectoral plans consistent with the provisions of this Act into 
physical and spatial terms; 
Establish a National Land Use Allocation System which shall provide 
detailed guidelines on land use policy areas or categories for land use 
planning under Section 14 hereoc 
Establish a National Land Resource Information and Management System, 
which 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/outputs 
including scales and symbols in the case of territorial and sectoral maps; 
Undertake 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; 
Coordinate with, and assist other government agencies and LGUs in 
planning, developing, and implementing their land use classification 
19 
. .  . 


programs, and to furnish, to the extent possible, technical assistance and 
guidance; 
, 
I 
Monitor and coordinate concerned agencies and entities of the government 
in the enforcement and implementation of policies and regulations relating 
to land use and resource management and development; 
Hear and resolve conflicts in land use planning, classification, and 
allocation that may arise: (1) at the first instance - between NGAs, 
between an NGA and an LGU, between an NGA and any regional or local 
planning bodies, and other cases not falling under its appellate capacity; 
(2) in its appellate capacity - with respect to conflicts arising from the 
disapproval/modification 
of 
CLUPs 
of 
component 
cities 
and 
municipalities by provinces and from the disapprovaUmodification of 
PPFPs of provinces by the RLUCs or of Ihe CLWs of independent 
component and highly-urbanized cities also by the RLUCs; 
Call on and deputize any department, bureau, office, agency or 
instrumentality of the government, including the police forces, and or 
private entities and organization for cooperation, support, and assistance in 
the performance of its f'unctions; 
,
.
 
Adopt its own organizational plan and staffing pattern, create central and 
regional offices, and assist the LGUs in the ton nation of local land use 
committees; and, 
Perform such other acts and functions and exercise such other powers as 
may be necessarily implied, inherent, incident, or related to the foregoing. 
SEC. 20. Offices, Units and Staff Support. - The LUPA shall be assisted by a 
secretariat under the general supervision of the Administrator. 
The Administrator may organize at the central and regional levels such offices as 
may be necessary subject to civil service rules and regulations. 
Subject to existing laws, rules and regulations and until such time that LUPA shall 
have been fully organized and operational, agencies performing hnctions related to land 
use shall continue to discharge the same, under the operational supervision and control of 
20 


LUPA and consistent with the national guidelines and standards set forth in Section 5 
hereof. 
$ 
'
I
 
I 
SEC. 21. Powers and Functions of the Administrator. - The Administrator shall 
have the following powers and functions: 
Act as the executive head of the LUPA and.perform the powers and 
functions incidental to said position; 
Be responsible for the implementation and overall execution of the 
policies, rules and regulations, and decisions adopted by the Board; and as 
such, he/she shall issue the corresponding implementing administrative 
issuances, and promulgate opinions and interpretative circulars and rulings 
to ensure expeditious ,and effective implementation thereof; and, 
Perform such other powers and functions as may be inherent, incidental, or 
related to the foregoing. 
The decisions of the Administrator may be appealed to the LUPA Board. 
SEC. 22. Qualifications of the Administrator. - The Administrator must have a 
background or significant training preferably in the field of environmental and/or 
physical planning, land resources management, or development planning. and 
I 
management for a period of at least five (5) years. He/she shall be appointed by the 
President and shall have the rank of a Cabinet Secretary. 
SEC. 23. Qualifications, Rank and Duties of the Deputy Administrator. - The 
Administrator shall be assisted by a Deputy Administrator who shall be appointed by the 
President upon the recommendation of the Board. The Deputy Administrator shall have 
the same qualifications as the Administrator and shall have the rank of an Undersecretary. 
The Deputy Administrator shall be the operational administrative manager of the 
LUPA and shall assist the Administrator in hidher routine housekeeping functions. 
Article Two 
Land Development Councils and Land Use Committees 
21 


SEC. 24. Local Development Councils and Land Use Committees. - The, 
formulation of the CLUPs and PPFPs shall be the primary responsibility of the Local 
Development Councils (LDCs). The LGUs without existing LDCs as mandated by R.A. 
No. 7160 shall create their respective LDCs within one (1) year from the effectivity of 
this Act. 
I
,
 
Local land use committees pertain to the provincial, city, or municipal land use 
committees (PLUCs, CLUCs, MLUCs) formed by the LDCs. Existing and newly formed 
LDCs shall create within one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act or from their 
creation as the case may be, a local land use committee to assist them in performing such 
functions as defined in this Act: Provided, That membership therein must, among others, 
include representatives from concerned NGOs and POs, such as but not limited to 
peasants, fisherfolk, urban poor, and indigenous cultural communities/indigenous 
peoples. Other concerned sectors shall also be invited during committee deliberations and 
public hearings. The CLUCs/MLUCs shall likewise solicit the land use positions, views, 
perspectives and issues raised and articulated by the concerned communities through 
their respective barangay representatives who shall also participate during the public 
hearings. Until such time that the LUPA shall have created its counterpart committees at 
the regional level, the Regional Land Use Committees (RLUCs) under the Regional 
Development Councils (RDCs) shall act as the counterpart of the LUPA and shall 
perform such functions as defined under this Act. 
Article Three 
Adoption, Approval and Review of Land Use Plans 
SEC. 25. Component Cities and Municipalities. - Component cities and 
municipalities shall have the power and authority to adopt and approve their respective I 
CLUPs and ZOs through their respective Sanggunians but subject to the power of review 
of their respective provinces only with respect to the consistency of the CLUPs and ZOs 
with Sections 5 and 9 hereof. 
SEC. 26. 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 and ZOs through their respective Sanggunians but 
subject to the power of review of the LUPA through its RLUCs or as provided for in 
Section 25 hereof and only with respect to the consistency of the CLUPs and ZOs with 
Sections 5 and 9 hereof. 
22 


Article Four 
Responsibilities of the National Government Agencies and LGUs 
I
t
 
SEC. 27. National Base Mapping Program. - A National Mapping Program 
shall be implemented, coordinated, and monitored through the creation of an inter-agency 
technical committee composed of the LUPA, as the lead agency, the National Mapping 
and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), the Bureau of Soils and Water 
Management (BSWM), the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), the Forest 
Management Bureau (FMB), the Land Management Bureau (LMB), the Protected Areas 
And Wildlife Bureau (PAWB), the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology 
(PHIVOLCS), the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), the National Water Resources 
Board (NSWRB), the Department of Energy (DOE), and other concerned government 
agencieshureaus. 
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. 
SEC. 28. National Geo-hazard Mapping Program. - A nationwide Geo-hazard 
Mapping Program shall be implemented jointly though the LUPA by the PHIVOLCS, the 
Bureau of Soils, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services 
Administration (PAGASA), and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), in 
coordination with the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), the Regional 
Disaster Coordinating Councils, and other concerned government agencies. The program 
shall include the generation of indicative geo-hazard zoning maps that will outline areas 
in the Philippines prone to liquefaction, land slides, flooding, lahar, ground rupturing, 
tsunami, river erosion, coastal erosion, sinkhole collapse, earthquake, lava flow, 
pyroclastic flow, base surge, and other natura1 hazards. 
*
.
 
For purposes of uniformity and standardization and in order to develop a safe 
built environment, the LGUs shall incorporate and integrate the generated geo-hazard 
zoning maps in the preparation of their respective CLUPs and 20s. The geo-hazard maps 
shall serve as guide for all the LGUs in the preparation of their own hazards-constrained 
development plans. 
SEC. 29. Scope and Nature of Responsibilities of Other National Government 
Agencies (NGAs). - All concerned NGAs shall periodically report to the LUPA on the 
23 


various activities and accomplishments relative to land use. Likewise, they shall provide 
for their respective sectoral/development plans and render technical and administrative 
support if called upon by the LUPA relative to the implementation of the provisions of 
this Act. 
. ,  
I 
SEC. 30. Submission of Annual Report on the Implementation of CLUPs and 
ZOs. - The LDCs shall submit an annual report on the implementation of their land use 
plans and zoning ordinances to the LUPA through the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, or in 
the case of highly urbanized and independent cities, through their respective Sanggunian 
Panlungsod. 
. .  . 
CHAPTER IV 
SPECIAL AREAS OF CONCERN 
Article One 
Agricultural Lands 
SEC. 31. Priority Areas for Agricultural Development. - Priority areas for 
agricultural development must be based on the Strategic Agricultural and Fisheries 
Development Zones (SAFDZs) as defined in R.A. No. 8435, otherwise known as the 
Agricultural and fisheries Modernization Act of 1997 (AFMA). 
SEC. 32. Conversion of Agricultural Lands. - Agricultural lands are deemed 
converted to non-agricultural uses upon approval of the application for conversion by the 
LUPA as recommended by the DAR and as certified by the DA. Prime agricultural lands 
and specific types of lands to the extent necessary for attaining food self-sufficiency in 
rice and corn and food security in other basic commodities, as determined by the DA, 
subject to mandatory consultation with the LGUs, the private sector, the NGOs, and POs 
shall be protected from conversion. Such protection shall include, but not limited to, areas 
under the Network of Protected Areas for Agricultural and Agro-Industrial Development 
(NPAAAD): Provided, That all irrigated and irrigable lands, all lands with existing or 
potential for high value crops, all agricultural lands that are ecologically fragile and 
whose conversion will result into serious environmental problems shall be given full 
protection from conversion. Such protected agncultural lands and areas shall be subject , 
to review every five (5) years by the DA, after the conduct of mandatory public 
hearings/consultations: Provided, further, That consistent with the State policy on giving 
priority to the completion of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), all 
the remaining lands subject to CARP, including those lands covered under the notice of 
24 


compulsory acquisitiodvoluntary offer to sell, production or profit-sharing, or 
commercial farm deferment of the CARP, shall also be fully protected from conversion 
pending the distribution and installation of the farmer beneficiaries; but thereafter, 
Section 65 of R.A. No. 6657 shall apply: Provided, finally, That pending the completion 
of the mapping, the identification of specific areas under the NPAAAD and the SAFDZs 
under R.A. No. 8435, the revision thereof pursuant to the foregoing, and the 
incorporation thereof in the NPFP, there shall be a moratorium in all applications for 
conversion of agricultural lands into non-agricultural uses commencing from the 
effectivity of this Act, except for priority infrastructure projects that are of national 
interest pursuant to Sec. 63 and 64 hereof. The application for conversion of these 
protected areas shall not be given due course by the DAR and the LUPA. 
I ,  
L 
.
.
 
SEC. 33. Sub-classificalion or Reclassificalion of Agricultural Lands by 
LGUs. - Sub-classification or reclassification of agricultural lands to other uses under 
Section 20 of R.A. No. 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991 shall exclude the 
protected agricultural lands as stated in the preceding section. 
The result of such sub- 
classificationheclassification shall constitute the actual plan for allocating the future uses 
of lands within the territorial jurisdictions of LGUs and is not synonymous to conversion. 
After the completion of the mapping of protected agricultural lands, the DA and the DAR 
shall provide the LGUs with a complete list and maps thereof. 
Article Two 
Other Land Use Conversion 
SEC. 34. Conversion of Non-Agricultural Lands. - The approved CLUPs and 
20s of cities or municipalities shall be the basis for authorizing the change of non- 
agricultural lands to other uses, such as from residential to commercial and/or industrial 
subject, however, to national guidelines and standards, and subsequently, the NPFP. A 
public hearing is required before any CLUP/ZO is passed. The Sangguniang Panlungsod 
or Sangguniang Bayan shall approve any application for change of land use of non- 
agricultural lands based on the recommendation of the CLUCMLUC. 
Article Three 
Forestlands and Preservation of Watersheds 
SEC. 35. Reversion of Alienable and Disposable Lands to Forestlands. - Upon 
the recommendation of the Secretary of the DENR, duly reviewed and endorsed by the 
LUPA, and after due consultations with the concerned LGUs and. affected parties, 
25 


Congress may authorize the reversion of alienable and disposable lands of the public 
domain or portion thereof to forestlands. 
I ,  
SEC. 36. Determination of Forest Limit. - Within one (1) year after the release 
of the budget appropriated for the purpose of classifying, reclassifying, and delineating 
all lands of the public domain, the DENR shall submit the final inventory of lands after 
which, Congress, shall within a period of one hundred twenty (120) working days, 
determine by law the specific limit of forestlands and national parks, and endangered 
forests and watershed areas, marking clearly their boundaries on the ground. Thereafter, 
such forestlands and national parks shall be conserved and may not be diminished, except 
by law. 
SEC. 37. Coverage of Production Forest. - Production forests include: the 
residual dipterocarp forests; pine forests available for logging; rangelands for grazing; 
areas under industrial forest plantation management; areas for community forest program; 
integrated social forestry; and other forestlands for special uses, excluding the critical 
watersheds as identified by the DENR, in coordination with concerned LGUs and NGAs, 
and subject to mandatory public consultations with concerned sectors. 
SEC. 38. Criteria for the Sub-classification of Public Lands for Timber 
Production, Agro-forestry, Grazing and Pasture and Other Purposes. - The sub- 
classification of public lands shall be guided by the following: 
Geology, geomorphology, soil and slope; 
Classified public lands below fifty percent (50%) slope may be sub- 
classified for timber production, agro-forestry, grazing or pasture land 
activities provided that the use of such areas shall not result in soil 
degradation or any adverse ecological condition; 
Watershed may be subject to multiple uses provided that the area is 
utilized, managed and developed for the primary, purpose by which it has 
been established excluding critical watersheds as identified by the DENR, 
in coordination with concerned LGUs and NGAs, and subject to 
mandatory public hearings/consultations with concerned sectors; 
26 


(d) 
All public lands above fifty percent (50%) slope shall be sub-classified 
into appropriate protection or production land uses provided that such land 
use shall not engender significant adverse environmental effects; and 
(e) 
The overall carrying capacity of classified public lands, including their 
existing and potential land uses shall serve as the basis for determining 
their sub-classification. 
SEC. 39. Critical Watershed Areas. - The DENR, in coordination with the DA, 
the LGUs, and other government agencies, including government-owned-and-controlled 
corporations, and with mandatory public hearingdconsultations, shall identify and 
delineate critical watershed areas that need to be protected, rehabilitated, enhanced, 
and/or withdrawn from uses that contribute to its further degradation. 
SEC. 40. Formulation and Implementation of Integrated Watershed 
Management Plans. - With the assistance of the DENR in collaboration with the 
NWRB, and upon mandatory consultations with the concerned stakeholders, the LGUs 
through their local land use committees shall prepare their watershed management plans 
which shall be integrated with their respective CLUPs. The formulation and integration 
of the plan shall be guided, aniong others, by the principle that the management and' 
development of inland water resources shall be at the watershed level. 
In cases where the watershed areas transcend the boundaries of a particular 
municipality, an inter-LGU committee composed of representatives from local land use 
committees of the LGUs where the watershed area is located shall be formed. With the 
assistance of the DENR and upon mandatory consultations with the Concerned 
stakeholders, the inter-LGU committee shall be tasked to formulate the watershed 
management plan for the said watershed area. 
The DENR and the concerned LGUs shall jointly implement the watershed 
management plan subject to regular consultations with and involvement of the 
community stakeholders in the implementation of the plan. 
Article Four 
Costal Zones 
27 


SEC. 41, Classification of Coastal Zones. - All public lands in the coastal zones 
shall 
be 
sub-classified 
as 
fishponds, 
mangrove, 
fisherfolk 
settlement 
and 
recreational/tourism areas with the end in view of attaining bio-diversity conservation. 
1
,
 
SEC. 42. Guidelines for 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 
production and will not be converted to other uses; 
(b) 
Areas that meet all accepted criteria on elevation, soil type, soil depth, 
topography supply for successful fishpond development and devoid of any 
mangrove stands, may 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 of 
which the land is devoid of mangrove stands will not be converted to other 
uses. The DENR shall ensure that these lands shall be reforested within a 
given period of time; 
(d) 
Areas that are neither sub-classified as mangrove or fishpond may be 
devoted for recreational and/or tourism purposes, provided that such 
undertaking will not result in environmental degradation; 
. *  . 
~ 
(e) 
Areas which are considered as traditional fishing grounds shall be used 
primarily for such purpose; 
(f) 
Areas which are allocated for small infrastructures needed by fisherfolk 
shall be allowed; 
(g) 
Areas which form part of foreshore lands as defined in this Act including 
those that are under lease agreementdarrangements should undergo 
zonation and evaluation to determine their boundaries and actual sizes and 
corresponding uses; and, 
(h) 
Areas which are classified for fisherfolk settlement and housing shall be 
allocated to: 
28 


.
.
 
(1) 
traditional fishers or fisherfolk who are inhabitants of the, coastal 
communities; and 
(2) 
members of legitimate fisherfolk organizations andor holders of 
stewardship, lease contracts, or titles to ancestral domains or any 
form of property rights arrangements, who participate in coastal 
resource management initiatives. 
SEC. 43. Coastal Zone Land Sub-classification by LGUs. - Sub-classification 
of coastal zones to different uses, which shall exclude the protected areas as stated in this 
Act, by the LGUs shall be subject to prior consultation with local Fisheries and Aquatic 
Resource Management Councils (FARMCs) formed under R.A. No. 8550. 
SEC. 44. Disposition of Public Lands for Fishpond. Upon the effectivity of 
this Act but subject to existing rights and the preceding section, no fishpond lease 
agreement (FLA) shall be issued for tidal swamps, mangroves and oilier swamps, 
marshes, ponds, foreshore lands, and coastal areas within public lands, including those 
presently declared available for fishpond development. The LUPA, in coordination with 
the DENR, the DA, the FARMCs and the LGUs shall set aside a portion of available 
public lands for fish propagation, fish sanctuary, conservation, ecological purposes and 
fisherfo lk settlement areas. 
Fishponds covered by existing FLA, but, are abandoned or not operating 
efficiently, and are found suitable for mangroves shall be allowed to be revegetated back 
as mangrove forest. 
.. . 
, 
SEC. 45. Tourism and Recreation Zone. - The designation of areas for tourism 
and resorts near to or over fishery areas or ports thereoc shall be with the consent of the 
concerned LGUs and FARMCs, and subject to the policies and guidelines set forth in this 
Act. 
Article Five 
Mineral Lands 
SEC. 46. Guidelines for the Utilization and Allocation of Land for Mining 
Purposes. - To ensure that the objectives of maintaining ecological balance and 
maximizing economic returns to mining operations are realized and consistent with R.A. 
29 


No. 7942, the allocation and utilization of lands for mining purposes shall be guided by 
the following: 
Mining operations shall be undertaken with due consideration to the 
utilization, development, and protection of land and other physical 
resources; 
Small-scale mining shall be allowed provided that safeguards are instituted 
to prevent environmental degradation of the mining sites and adjacent 
areas; and, 
Mineral reservations which had become non-operational for more, than 
five (5) years shall be placed under appropriate surface management by 
the DENR. 
SEC. 47. Reversion of Mineral Lands. - All exhausted mineral lands shall 
automatically revert to the category of forestlands, unless the DENR has otherwise 
classified such areas for other purposes. 
SEC. 48. Criteria for the Classification of Mineral Lands as Alienable and 
Disposable Lands. - Exhausted mineral lands may be classified as alienable and 
disposable lands only upon the satisfaction of all of the following conditions: 
The slope of the exhausted mineral lands shall not be above eighteen 
percent (1 8%); 
The rehabilitation of exhausted mineral lands can be accelerated if such 
areas are released for other purposes; 
The area can promote and sustain economic activities that would support 
development of settlements without incurring significant environmental 
problems. The area shall then be subject to an environmental impact 
assessment (EIA), the findings of which shall serve as basis for making 
any recommendation on its classification; and 
The land is found to be environmentally-safe from natural hazards. 
30 


Article Six 
Energy Resource Lands 
I
,
 
SEC. 49. 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 harnessing of power potential from indigenous energy resources in the 
most economical and environmentally-acceptable means are realized, the allocation and 
utilization of lands for said purposes shall be guided by the following,'consistent with the 
existing laws and DOE regulations on energy resources; 
(a) 
Indigenous energy resource exploration and development for the purpose 
of a National Energy Resource Inventory and Data Base as well as Energy 
Resource Block Map shall be allowed subject to the implementqtion of 
complementary watershed management plans; 
(b) 
Indigenous energy resource exploration, development, production, 
utilization and distribution shall be subject to the appropriate requirements 
and process of the Philippine E1S System. Each project shall secure an 
Environmental 
Compliance 
Certificate 
(ECC) 
prior 
to 
project 
implementation to ensure adequate and appropriate environmental 
management measures and optimum methods for resource access and 
recovery utilized. 
Energy reservations or portions thereof which have been established to be 
non-economically viable to operate or are no longer used for energy 
purposes shall be released to give way to other land uses subject to 
existing laws covering energy reservations. 
(b) 
SEC. 50. Reversion of Energy Resource Lands. - All exhausted indigenous 
energy resource lands not covered by proclamations shall automatically revert to the 
category of forestlands or agricultural lands, whichever is appropriate, unless the DENR 
and/or the DAR respectively classify such areas for other purposes. 
SEC. 51. Energy Resource Exploration as a Temporary Land Use. - 
Premature conversion of agricultural lands as defined in this Act shall exclude use of the 
land for energy resource exploration, which is a temporary use of the land, it being a 
necessary activity for the confirmation of the energy resource: Provided, however, That 
conversion of the land to a permanent land use shall proceed once the energy resource is 
confirmed for production and prior to commercial development: Provided, further, That 
.
.
 I 
31 


the LUPA shall set a lime limit on such exploration as a temporary land use, taking into 
account the different factors affecting exploration. 
Article Seven 
Settlements Development 
SEC. 52. Town, City, and Settlements Development. - The development of 
town, city and settlements through the zoning ordinances (ZOs) of cities and 
municipalities shall be guided by urban zoning standards designed to maximize existing 
urban spaces and reasonably restrain urban expansion to be formulated by the LWA and 
included in guidelines and standards to be issued under Sections 5 and 9 hereof. 
.
.
 I 
SEC. 53. Settlements with Geo-hazard Areas. - Settlements within gee-hazard 
areas may be allowed provided that mitigating and/or protective measures are adopted to 
address the potential danger or risk to lives and properly within such settlements. In 
coordination with the concerned agencies of the government, the LUPA shall provide 
assistance to concerned LGUs and settlers in instituting safely and corrective measures to 
address the potential danger or risk. 
SEC. 54. Protection of Ecological Harmony. - To ensure the ecological 
harmony of towns, cities, and settlements, certain projects which will alter the present use 
of a zoned area shall be issued a building permit, business permit, andlor development 
permit, as the case may be. 
The identification of these projects shall be done in 
coordination with the concerned LGUs. 
SEC. 55. Designation of Waste Disposal Site. - Each city or municipality shall 
identify, designate and allocate land within their territorial jurisdiction to serve as waste 
disposal site within one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act. The LGUs, in 
coordination with the DENR and/or competent authority, shall identify solid waste 
disposal sites in order to fast track the conduct of environmental impact assessment (EIA) 
study and to facilitate processing of the environmental compliance certificate (ECC). This 
site or area shall be identified in the city'dmunicipality's CLUP and ZO. For this purpose, 
cities and municipalities shall establish their solid waste management program. Likewise, 
as provided for under Section 33 of R.A. No. 7160, cities and municipalities may, 
through appropriate ordinances, bind themselves towards the establishment of a common 
solid waste management program. 
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Within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act, the DENR, in 
coordination with concerned agencies, shall promulgate the necessary guidelines and 
standards for the formulation and establishment of solid waste management program by 
cities and municipalities, and shall submit the same to the LUPA for review and approval. 
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SEC. 56. Designation of Socialized Housing Sites in Urban and Urbanizing 
Areas. - Each city or municipality in urban and urbanizing areas shall identify, designate 
and allocate land within their territorial jurisdiction to ensure the availability of adequate 
land to meet the shelter needs of poor residents in their respective city or municipality or 
to be used as sites for socialized housing pursuant to Article IV of UDHA. 
Within ninety (90) days fiom the effectivity of this Act, the LUPA, in 
coordination with the concerned agencies, and pursuant to existing laws, rules and 
regulations, shall promulgate the necessary guidelines for the identification and 
designation of socialized housing sites. All cities and municipalities in urban and 
urbanizing areas shall identify and designate their socialized housing sites within six (6) 
months fiom the effectivity of this Act and must submit the list of these sites and their 
respective hectarage to the HUDCC. 
SEC. 57. Zonification of Identified Sites for Socialized Housing. - These 
socialized housing sites shall be identified and designated as socialized housing zones in 
the cityWmunicipality's CLUP and shall be established through appropriate and approved 
zoning ordinances. The current zoning ordinances of the LGUs shall be reviewed and 
revised to include these socialized housing zones. These sites shall be used exclusively 
for housing that qualifies as socialized housing under the UDHA. 
SEC. 58. Valuation of lands for Socialized Housing. - Equitable land valuation 
guidelines for socialized housing shall be set by the Department of Finance on the basis 
of the market value reflected in the zonal valuation, or in its absence, on the latest real 
property tax declaration. For sites already occupied by qualified beneficiaries under the 
UDHA and sites identified as Socialized Housing Zones as defined in this Act, the 
Department of Finance shall factor into the valuation, the blighted status of the land as 
certified by the LGUs or the National Housing Authority. 
SEC. 59. Urban Forest or Green. Space. - Each city or highly urbanizing 
municipality shall identify, designate, and allocate lands owned by the city or 
municipality as urban forest or green space, based on the guidelines and standards to be 
issued by the DENR and approved by the LUPA. 
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Article Eight 
Industrial Development Areas 
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SEC. 60. Designation of Industrial Areas. - The identification and establishment 
of industrial development areas shall conform with the provisions of R.A. No. 7916, 
otherwise known as the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Law, R.A. No. 
7279, or the Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA), and Section 33 hereof, 
taking into consideration the following: 
Identified network of areas for agricultural development and protected 
agricultural areas pursuant to Section 33 hereof; 
National policies on the regional dispersal of industries and agri-based 
industrial development; 
Identified growth areas and corridors in the National Development Plan, 
National Integrated Protection Area Systems and other protected areas; 
National Urban Development Framework; 
Identified Socialized Housing Zones; 
National Settlements Development Plan; and, 
National Infrastructure Development Plan. 
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The designated industrial development areas shall become an integral part of the 
land use plan and zoning ordinance of the city or municipality where these areas are 
located. 
Article Nine 
Tourism Development Areas 
SEC. 61. Designation of Tourism Development Areas. - The identification, 
selection and development of tourism development areas shall be done in consultation 
and coordination with the concerned LGUs, national government agencies, the private 
sector, and the affected communities. Consistent with Sections 33 and 34 hereof, these 
areas shall likewise include those covered by legislation and executive issuances which 
designate specific sites as tourist spots and tourist zones, as well as those identified in the 
national and regional tourism master plans. 
Historical and Cultural Heritage Sites shall be included in these areas so as to 
promote their protection, preservation and development for tourism purposes and related 
activities. 
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Designated areas for tourism development shall become part of the CLUPs and 
20s of the cities or municipalities where these are located. 
Article Ten 
Infrastructure Development 
SEC. 62. Allocation and Use of Land for Infrastructure Development. - Land, 
whether public or private, shall be allocated and utilized for priority infrastructure 
projects that are supportive of national or local development objectives. The National 
Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), in consultation with the concerned 
NGAs, LGUs and the private sector shall identify and periodically review, update and/or 
revise the list of priority infrastructure projects. 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 economy 
with priority on food security and self-sufficiency concerns; 
Upgrade existing facilities to international standards; 
Address the need for sustainable settlements development; and, 
(b) 
(c) 
(d) 
Help mitigate the destructive effects of natural disaster-causing 
phenomena or those that shall serve as alternatives to existing 
infrastructures found in natural hazard-prone areas. 
Provided, That the provision and implementation of infrastructure support shall be 
made compatible with existing environmental conditions and the physical, whether 
natural or man-made, and cultural character of the area. Mandatory public 
hearings/consultations shall be held prior to the conduct of all infrastructure projects that 
will necessarily involve dislocation or displacement of people living in the area: 
Provided, further, That the concerned NGA that will implement the infrastructure 
projects in areas occupied by the urban poor and in identified socialized housing zones 
shall follow the rules on mandatory consultation as provided for in RA 7160, as well as 
the rules on just and humane demolitions or eviction under Section 20 of UDHA and said 
NGA shall submit a report complying with the aforementioned provisions to the 
concerned LGU prior to project implementation. 
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SEC. 63. Infrastructure Projects Within Environmentally-Critical Areas. - 
Construction of priority infrastructure projects within protected, hazard-prone, or 
environmentally critical areas shall be allowed provided that mitigating and/or preventive 
measures are adopted to address the potential adverse economic, socio-cultural and 
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measures are adopted to address the potential adverse economic, socio-cultural and 
environmental impacts that will emanate from these infrastructure projects subject to the 
findings and recommendations of a feasibility study and an environmental impact 
assessment in accordance with P.D. Nos. 1586 and 4846. 
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Existing infrastructures found to be improperly located as well as those posing 
threats to the environmental integrity of historic, archeologic, or scientifically significant 
areas, or impinging on critical ecosystems may be terminated immediately, or gradually 
phased out and relocated, or maintained up to their life span, subject however to 
mitigating measures: Provided, That the concerned NGA that will implement the 
Infrastructure projects in socialized housing zones are mandated to follow the rules on 
mandatory consultation as provided for in R.A. No. 7160, as well as the rules on just and 
humane demolitions or eviction under Section 20 of UDHA: Provided, hrther, That said 
NGA shall submit a report complying with the aforementioned provisions to the 
concerned LGU prior to project implementation. 
The DPWH, DOE, DOTC, in coordination with the Concerned NGA, the LGUs 
and the private sector shall identify and assess ali major infrastructure projects in 
environmentally-critical areas and submit their recommendations to the LUPA within six 
(6) months from the effectivity of this Act. 
Article Eleven 
Training, Education, and Value Formation 
SEC, 64. Mandatory Curriculum. - In order to create a well informed, 
responsive and committed citizenry who value the protection, conservation and 
development of the country’s limited land and other physical resources, the State shall 
mandate the inclusion of sustainable land use education, or any subject related thereto in 
the curricula of primary, secondary and tertiary education. 
SEC. 65. Information and Education Campaign. - The LUPA shall coordinate 
a nationwide education information campaign in land use and physical planning to be 
implemented by local and national government agencies. The DILG and concerned 
agencies shall formulaic and implement a land use management capability-building 
program for national and local government officials, community leaders, NGOs, POs, 
religious sector, and the general public. 
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CHAPTER V 
INCENTIVES, SANCTIONS, AND PENALTIES 
Article One 
Incentives and Awards 
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SEC. 66. Formulation of a System of Incentives and Awards. - The LUPA 
shall come out with a system of incentives and awards to LGUs that regularly update 
their CLUPs/ZOs within the prescribed period as follows: 
(a) 
Provinces, highly urbanized cities, and independent component cities - 
once every ten (10) years or less; and 
(b) 
Component cities and municipalities - once every five (5) years or less 
SEC. 67. Priority in Giving Technical Assistance to LGUs. - In providing 
technical assistance and other forms of support related to land use management and 
implementation of development plans, national government agencies (NGAs) shall give 
priority to cities and municipalities with approved CLUPs and ZOs. 
SEC. 60. Incentives for Voluntary Transfer. - Subject to existing laws and 
ordinances, the LUPA, in coordination with the Board of Investments, shall provide for 
incentives to affected industries that, within a specified period, would voluntarily transfer 
to identified Industrial Development Areas. 
Article Two 
Sanctions and Penalties 
SEC. 69. Fine on Non-Completion and Non-Commencement of Development 
of Agricultural Lands with Approved Order of Conversion. - Any landowner and/or 
hidher designated developer 01: duly authorized representative who e fails to commence 
and/or complete the development of agricultural lands with approved order of 
conversation shall be penalized, jointly or severally, with any of the following fines based 
on the zonal value of the land at the time the fine is imposed: 
(a) 
On failure to commence within one year from the date of conversion 
order: 
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(1) 
Six percent (6%) of the zonal value of the subject land for the first 
three (3) hectares, 
Fifteen percent (15%) of the zonal value of the subject land for the 
next three (3) hectares, and 
Thirty percent (30%) of the zonal value of the subject land for the 
remaining area. 
(2) 
(3) 
Provided, That in such case, the order of conversion shall be deemed revoked 
automatically and the land shall revert back to its original agricultural use and shall be 
covered by the DAR through compulsory acquisition for distribution to qualified 
beneficiaries. 
(b) 
On failure to complete fifty percent (50%) of the approved conversion 
plan within a specified time fiame, the DAR shall impose a fine equivalent 
to fifty percent (50%) of the zonal value of the subject land and shall 
automatically issue an order revoking 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. 70. Authority to Impose Fine. - The DAR shall impose the penalty 
imposed under the preceding section. 
SEC. 71. Withdrawal of Local Development Permits and/or Licenses. - Upon 
receipt of notice from the DAR, the concerned agencies, city or municipality shall 
withdraw and/or revoke any development permit and/or oilier licenses that may be 
necessary to develop the agricultural land subject of conversion. 
SEC. 72. Utilization of Fines. - The fines collected under Section 70 hereof shall 
automatically accrue to the Agrarian Reform Fund consistent with the provisions of R.A. 
Act No. 6657, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law. 
SEC. 73. Failure to Formulate, Enforce, and/or Implement the CLUPs and 
20s. - Consistent with due process, the LUPA in coordination with the DILG shall 
investigate, review and recommend the filing of charges against 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: 
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Failure to implement and enforce the CLUP/ZO due lo negligence of duty; 
Failure to provide appropriate budgetary allocation to effect its 
implementation; 
Failure to complete the preparation of the CLUP despite the availability of 
funds, resources, and support by the Sanggunian concerned; and, 
Failure of the CLUPs/ZOs to conform to the prescribed national guidelines 
and standards as provided for in Section 5 hereof and thereafter, v/ith 
NPFP as stated in Section 9 hereof; 
Any public official or employee, regardless of whether or not elected or appointed 
or holding office or employment in a casual, temporary, holdover, permanent or regular 
capacity, found to be responsible to any of the foregoing acts, after due notice and 
hearing by the appropriate body or agency, shall be punished with forfeiture of salaries 
and allowances and suspension from: 
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I 
(a) 
(b) 
Six (6) to nine (9) months, in case of non-implementation of the CLUP; or 
Three (3) to six (6) months, in case of non-completion of the CLUP. 
SEC. 74. Premature or Illegal Conversion. - Paragraph 2, Section 11 of R.A. 
No. 8435, is hereby amended and shall read as follows: 
"Any person found guilty of premature or illegal conversion as 
defined in this Act shall be penalized with imprisonment of seven (7) to 
twelve (12) years, or a fine equivalent to fifty percent (50%) of the market 
value of the subject land, or both, at the discretion of the court and 
accessory penalty of forfeiture of the land and any improvement thereon: 
Provided, that if the offender is a juridical person, the penalty shall be 
imposed on the responsible officers thereof." 
In addition, the DAR may impose the following penalties, after determining, in an 
administrative proceeding, that violation of this Act has been committed: 
(a) 
Cancellation or withdrawal of the authorization for land use conversion; 
and, 
Blacklisting or automatic disapproval of pending or subsequent conversion 
applications that they may file with the DAR. : 
(b) 
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SEC. 75. Person(s) Abetting Illegal Conversion. - Any person initiating, 
causing, inducing, or abetting illegal conversion shall, upon conviction, be penalized with 
< imprisonment of seven (7) to twelve (12) years and a fine of not less than one hundred 
thousand (100,000.00) pesos, or both, at the discretion of the court: Provided, That if the 
offender is a public official or employee, the penalty shall, in addition thereto, includes 
perpetual disqualification and forfeiture of all hidher benefits and entitlements accruing 
to hidher public position. 
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SEC. 76. Imposition of Penalty for Reclassification of Protected Agricultural 
Lands. - Any person initiating, causing, inducing, or abetting the reclassification of 
protected agricultural areas as defined in Section 33 hereof into non-agricultural uses 
shall be penalized with imprisonment of seven (7) to twelve (12) years and a fine of not 
less than one hundred thousand (1 00,000.00) pesos, or both, at the discretion of the court: 
Provided, That if the offender is a public official or employee, the penalty shall, in 
addition thereto, include perpetual disqualification and forfeiture of all hidher benefits 
and entitlements accruing to hidher public position; Provided, further, That . if .
,
 
the 
offender is a juridical person, the penalty shall be imposed on the responsible officers 
thereof. 
CHAPTER VI 
MISCELLANEOUS, TRANSITORY AND FINAL PROVISIONS 
Article One 
Mandatory Review 
SEC. 77. Mandatory Review Every Seven Years. - Congress shall undertake a 
mandatory review of this Act at least once every seven (7) years from the date of 
effectivity, or as often as it may deem necessary to ensure that land use policies and 
guidelines remain responsive to changing circumstances. For this purpose, Congress may 
call on the LUPA to undertake the necessary researches, consultations and public 
hearings. 
Article Two 
Transitory Provisions 
SEC. 78. Convening of the LUPA. - Within thirty (30) days after the effectivity 
of this Act, the Executive Secretary, as Chairman, shall convene the LUPA. The Deputy 
Director General for Land Use of NEDA and the Chief Executive Officer of the HLURB 
40 


shall sit temporarily as ex-officio members of the LUPA Executive Board until such time 
that a regular Administrator shall have been appointed by the President. 
"
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SEC. 79. Preparation of Implementing Rules and Regulations and Other 
Immediate Tasks. - Within one hundred tv/enly (120) days from the effectivity of this 
Act, the LUPA, in coordination with the Senate and House Committees on Natural 
Resources, Agriculture, Agrarian Reform, Housing and Urban Development, Rural 
Development, National Cultural Communities, Appropriations and Ways and Means, 
shall undertake the preparation of the implementing rules and regulations of this Act with 
mandatory consultations with social development NGOs and POs and the private sector. 
Within the same period, the LUPA shall also review existing rules and regulations 
on land use, and bases, therefrom, revise such rules and regulations, or cause concerned 
agencies lo revise them for the efficient and effective implementation of the provisions of 
this Act. All concerned national government agencies and bodies shall inform the LUPA 
of the status of the implementation of such rules and regulations. 
The LUPA shall likewise undertake the organization of its units and create special 
task forces and committees to assist it in its undertakings. 
Within one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act, the LUPA shall review and 
revise, if appropriate, all existing national planning guidelines and standards to facilitate 
the exercise of land use planning and zoning hnctions of local government units. . 
~ 
All existing rules and regulations shall be in force and effect unless revoked by 
. 
the LUPA or other competent authorities. 
SEC. 80. Effectivity of the Creation of LUPA. - Until such time that the LUPA 
shall have been organized and fully operational, the NLUC, HLURB, and other agencies 
performing functions related to land use shall continue exercising such powers and 
functions and their personnel shall receive the same salary, emoluments and privileges. 
Hiring, separation, replacement and appointment of personnel shall be in accordance with 
existing Civil Service rules and regulations: Provided, however, That in filling up the 
personnel requirements of the LUPA, preferential consideration shall be given to existing 
officers and employees of the NLUC, HLURB and the other agencies referred to above, 
who will be displaced: Provided, further, That they possess the appropriate and necessary 
skills and eligibility and meet the qualification standards for the positions. 
SEC. 81. Appropriations. - The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of 
this Act shall be included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following its 
enactment into law and thereafter. 
41 


In case such amount is insufficient, the LUPA may request for augmentation of 
funds from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). Thereafter, the LUPA 
shall be included in the General Appropriations for the next year. 
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Congress shall appropriate an amount to the DENR necessary for it to conduct the 
classification and demarcation activities needed in the final inventory of all lands as 
provided herein. 
SEC. 82. Review of Existing Land Use Plans. - Provinces, cities and 
municipalities with existing land use plans shall review, revise, reconcile and harmonize 
(he same with the guidelines and standards set forth under this Act. 
Article Three 
Final Provisions 
SEC. 83. Repealing Clause. - Section 9 of Republic Act No. 8435 and all other 
laws and administrative issuances are hereby modified by Section 33 hereof. All other 
general and special laws, acts, decrees, executive orders, proclamations, administrative 
rules and regulations, or part thereof, inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are 
hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly 
SEC. 84. Non-impairment Clause. - Nothing in this Act shall be construed as to 
diminish, impair, or repeal rights recognized, granted, or available to marginalized or 
basic sectors under existing laws including but not limited to R.A.' Nos. 7279,'6657,' 
8371, and 8550. 
SEC. 85. Separability Clause. - If for any reason any section or provision of this 
Act, or any portion thereof, or the application of such section, provision or portion to any 
person, group or circumstances is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder of 
this Act or the application of such section, provision or portion thereof to other persons, 
groups or circumstances shall continue to be in full force and effect. 
SEC. 86. Effectivity. - This Act shall lake effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation, 
Approved, 
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