FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
7 .JUL -3 F'3 :?:? 
S. No. 843 
I '  
Introduced by Senator Biazon 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
There already exist rules for most, if not all, issues pertaining to land use, 
including land registration, local governance, taxation, agrarian reform, protected areas, 
ancestral domain, fisheries, agricultural modernization, mining, and urban development 
and housing, among other things. For instance, environmentally critical areas are well 
defined by Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization Act. Laws on land classification, 
such as the Land Registration Act of 1902 and the Public Land Act of 1936, have long 
been in place. Among the more recent laws are the Urban Development and Housing 
Act, focusing on urban land development and shelter, and the Indigenous People's 
Rights Act covering ancestral domains. 
Then, there is the Local Government Code, which grants to municipalities and 
cities the power to prescribe limits on the use of property, adopt comprehensive land 
use plans, enact zoning ordinances, and reclassify land within their jurisdictions. 
Numerous functions formerly lodged with the national government have also been 
devolved to the local government units (LGUs), such as the granting of development 
permits for subdivision projects and the enforcement of environmental laws. 
The Comprehensive Land Reform Law also allows the Department of Agrarian 
Reform to reclassify land through conversion, giving priority to industrial centers, 
tourism development areas and sites for socialized housing. Other laws, such as the 
Economic Zone Act, the Fisheries Code, the People's Small Scale Mining Act and the 
Tourism Development Act, are also focused on delineating the use of land. 
Yet all these laws are, apparently, not enough. Relentless population growth and 
numerous priorities such as food production, human settlements, industry and 
environmental protection continue to compete over the use and exploitation of limited 
land resources, thereby putting more pressure to come up with a more comprehensive 
system of land use. 
Land use is an issue of governance. A comprehensive law should bring together 
all the laws and rules that have anything to do with land use. This should lay the 
foundation for the efficient management of land and other physical resources without 
compromising its future availability. It involves choices - between conflicting uses, 
opportunities and interests. Any discussion on land use, therefore, must necessarily 
seek to resolve and rationalize the conflicting claims of various stakeholders and 
interest groups. 
The government recognizes the conflicting interests in land use in the context of 
a growing national population. For instance, it acknowledges that the conflict generated 
by the indiscriminate conversion of agricultural land for other uses redounds to a 
problem with land allocation and use. 


While government recognizes the existence of various laws on land use 
that have now served as the mandate of various government agencies dealing 
with land concerns, it also now acknowledges that these laws are not enough to 
systematize and synchronize government decisions on where, how and how 
much land should be used for a particular need. 
This bill aims to provide the overall framework for the rational allocation, 
disposition, sustainable use, and management of land resources for a variety of 
ecological and economic uses, and to prevent premature conversion of 
agricultural lands for other uses. 
This bill particularly aims to formulate a Physical Framework Plan and to 
define the indicative uses of land and other physical resources from the national 
level down to the cities and municipalities that shall guide local government units 
(LGUs) in their planning process. 
The government strongly believes that there should be an orderly 
allocation of land for agricultural, residential, commercial, industrial and tourism 
purposes. It is for this reason that passage of this bill is urgently needed. 


FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
) 
7 J!JL -3 P 3  :I!? 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
S E N A T E  
SNO. 
843 
‘3 
RECEIVED BY ___ 
t 
Introduced by Senator Biazon 
AN ACT 
INSTITUTING A NATIONAL LAND USE POLICY, PROVIDING THE IMPLEMENTING 
MECHANISMS THEREFORE. AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
CHAPTER I 
INTRODUCTORY PROVISIONS 
SECTION 1. Tifle. - This Act shall be known and cited as the “Nafiona/ Land 
Use Act of the Philippines.” 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policies and Principles. - It shall be the policy of the State 
to provide for a rational and just allocation, utilization, management and development of 
the country’s land resources to ensure their optimum use consistent with the principles 
of sustainable development. 
Towards this end, the State shall adopt a land use and allocation pattern that 
(a) Protection of prime agricultural lands for food production activities and give 
highest priority to the completion of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform 
Program (CARP); 
(b) Food security in basic food commodities with emphasis on food self- 
sufficiency in rice and corn production and through efficient and sustainable 
use of land resources consistent with the principles of sound agricultural 
development, natural resources development, and agrarian reform; 
(c) Sustainable development and management of water resources towards water 
(d) Rational population distribution and settlement development; 
(e) Equitable and sustainable economic growth, and a balanced and dispersed 
industrial and tourism development guided by principles of agrarian reform, 
urban land reform and rural development; 
(9 Sustainable management of natural resources; 
(9) Maintenance and preservation of environmental integrity and stability; 
promotes and ensures: 
security; 


(h) Harmony between the rights and the varied interests of every Filipino within 
the framework of people empowerment, decentralization, social justice and 
equity; 
(i) Respect to and protection of the sustainable traditional resource rights of the 
Indigenous Cultural Communitiesllndigenous People (ICCsllP) to their 
ancestral domain 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; 
0) 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 
(k) An integrated approach to the utilization, allocation, development and 
management of water as a limited resource that will complement and support 
sustainable land utilization. 
It is also the policy of the State to institutionalize land and water use and physical 
planning as a mechanism for identifying, determining and evaluating alternative land 
use patterns consistent with existing laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and 
regulations. A national land and water use allocation system and a land and water 
resources information and management system shall be developed to support this Act. 
SEC. 3. Scope. - This Act shall apply to all lands, including the water therein, 
whether public or private, owned and/or possessed by any person, communities or 
groups of people to guide and/or govern the use, allocation and management of such 
lands and other resources, including the activities that bear an impact on said 
resources. 
SEC. 4. Definitions. - As used in and for the purposes of this Act, the following 
(a) “Administration” refers to the Land Use Policy Administration (LUPA), which 
is the administrative, regulatory and quasi-judicial body provided for under 
this Act and shall be the final authority in all matters relating to land use 
planning. 
(b) “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 aqua-culture production, including the harvesting of such farm 
products, and other farm activities and practices performed in conjunction 
with such farming operations done by persons whether natural or juridical. 
(c) “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 Department of 
Agrarian Reform (DAR). 
(d) “Alienable and disposable lands of the public domain’’ 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. 
terms shall mean: 


(e) “Ancestral domains” refer to all areas generally belonging to ICCsllP as 
defined in Republic Act No. 8371 or the “Indigenous People’s Rights Act of 
1998.” 
(9 “Coastal zone” refers to a band of dry and adjacent ocean space (water and 
submerged land) in which terrestrial processes and uses directly affect 
oceanic processes and uses, and vice versa; its geographic extent may 
include areas within a landmark limit of one (1) kilometer from the shoreline to 
include mangrove swamp, brackish water ponds, swamps, beaches, 
foreshore lands and other areas within a seaward limit of 200 meters isobath 
to include coral reefs, algal flats, sea grass beds and other soft-bottom areas.. 
(9) “Customary laws” refer to a body of written andlor unwritten rules, usage, 
customs and practices traditionally and continually recognized, accepted, and 
observed by respective JCCsAP. 
(h) “Development plan” refers to a document that defines the activities or 
measures that government intends to implement in order to achieve a defined 
set of development goals. A plan may include an analysis of problems and 
resources, definition of goals and objectives, policy guidelines, project and 
target achievements, and an implementation mechanism that defines the 
roles and contribution expected from agencies and the private sector. This 
also refers to the socio-economic, the physical framework plan or sectoral 
plan of the national government or its instrumentality or a particular local 
government unit. 
(i) “€co/ogically fragile agricultural lands” refers to lands within critical 
watershed, brackish and freshwater wetlands, pasture lands and croplands 
that require rehabilitation and whose continued unsustainable use would 
adversely affect the productivity of lowland agricultural areas and the stability 
of the upland system. 
(j) “Environmentally critical areas” refer to areas declared by law as (i) areas 
for natural parks, watershed reserves, wildlife preserves, and sanctuaries; (ii) 
areas set aside as aesthetic potential tourist spots; (iii) areas that constitute 
the habitat for any endangered or threatened species of indigenous Philippine 
wildlife Iflora and fauna]; (iv) areas of unique historic, archeological, or 
scientific interests; (v) areas that are traditionally occupied by the ICCs/lP; (vi) 
areas with critical slopes; (vi) areas frequently visited andlor hard hit by 
natural calamities [geologic hazards, floods, typhoons and volcanic activities]; 
(viii) recharge areas of aquifers; (ix) mangrove areas; (x) coral reefs; 
(xi)mossy and virgin forests; (xi) rivers and riverbanks; (xiii) swamp forest and 
marshlands; and (xiv) foreshore lands. 
(k) “Exhausfed mineral larids” refer to specific sites whose mineral deposits are 
not long in sufficient quantity or quality to justify additional expenditure for 
their extraction and utilization. 
(I) “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. 
(m) “Food security” refers to the policy objective of meeting the food availability, 
accessibility and affordability requirements of present and future generation of 
Filipinos in a sustainable manner, through local production, or importation, 
only when there is shortage established based on micro-level situation, or 


both, based on the country’s existing and potential resources endowments 
and related production advantages, and consistent with the overall national 
development objectives and policies. 
(n) “Forest lands” refers to those lands of the public domain that have been 
subjected to land evaluation and classification and have been legally 
designated as such for production forest and protection/amenity forest. 
(0) “Foreshore Land‘ refers to a string of land margining a body of water, part of 
a seashore between the low-water line usually at the seaward margin of a low 
tide terrace and the upper limit of wave wash at high tide usually marked by a 
beach scarp or berm. 
(p) “Framework for Physical Planning” refers to an indicative plan promoting 
the most appropriate and rational use of land and other physical resources, It 
provides policy guidelines for all decisions relating to land use and 
environmental management, to prevent and mitigate the adverse effects of 
inappropriate resource utilization of the country’s food security and food self- 
sufficiency on rice and corn, the people’s welfare and their environment. It 
embodies both policies and strategies necessary to carry out goals and 
objectives. 
(9) “Geo-hazard and disaster prone areas” refers to areas frequently visited 
and/or prone to experience natural calamities - for example, typhoons, 
flooding, storm surges, or liquefaction - specifically weather/climatic, 
hydrologic and geologic. 
(r) “ldle lands” refers to (i) agricultural lands more than five (5) hectares in area, 
whether contiguous or not, one-half (1/2) of the area in excess of the said five 
(5) hectares of which remain uncultivated or unimproved by the owner of the 
property or person having legal interest therein for a period exceeding one (1) 
year. Agricultural lands planted to permanent or perennial crops with at least 
fifty (50) trees to a hectare shall not be considered idle lands. Lands actually 
used for grazing purposes shall likewise not be considered idle lands. (ii) 
Lands other than agricultural, located in urban and urbanizable areas on 
which no improvements, as herein defined, have been made by the owner, as 
certified by the city, municipality or provincial assessor. 
(s) "improvements" refers to all types of buildings and residential units, walls, 
fences, structures or construction of all kinds of fixed character or are 
adhered to the soil but shall not include trees, plants, growing fruits, and other 
fixtures that are mere super impositions on the land, and the value of 
improvements shall not be less than fifty percent (50%) of the assessed value 
of the property. 
(t) “Indigenous Cultural Communities/lndigenous People (ICCs/lP)” refer to 
groups of people or homogenous societies identified in Republic Act No. 8371 
or the “Indigenous People’s Rights Act of 1998”. 
(u) "inland wafers” refers to waters that are not coastal and marine waters not 
subject to acquisitive prescription and consistent with the provisions of 
Presidential Decree No. 1067, otherwise known as the “1976 Water Code of 
the Philippines”. 
below and above the ground including inland waters and the air thereon. 
(v) “Land‘ refers to resources, both natural and man-made, found on the surface 


(w) “Land use” refers to the manner of utilization of land, including its allocation, 
development, and management. 
(x) “Land use plan” refers to a document embodying a set of policies 
accompanied by maps and similar illustrations which represent the 
community-desired pattern of population distribution and a proposal for the 
future allocation of land to the various land using activities. It identifies the 
allocation, character and extent of the areas of land resources to be used for 
different purposes and includes the process and the criteria employed in the 
determination of the land use. 
(y) “Land use planning“ refers to the act of defining the allocation, utilization, 
development, and management of all land within a given territory or 
jurisdiction according to the inherent qualities of the land itself and supportive 
of sustainable economic, demographic, socio-cultural and environmental 
objectives as an aid to decision-making and legislation. 
(z) “Land Classification” refers to the classification of lands of public domain 
into agricultural, forest or timber, mineral lands, or natural parks as provided 
by the 1987 Constitution. 
(aa)”Land Sub-classification” refers to the act of determining and assigning the 
uses of classified public lands such as forest or timberlands, natural parks 
and mineral lands in accordance with existing laws. 
(bb)”Land use classification” refers to the act of delineating or allocating lands 
according to protection land use, production land use, settlements 
development, and infrastructure development as defined and provided for in 
this Act. 
(cc) “Mineral lands” refers to lands in which minerals exist in sufficient quantity 
or quality to justify the investment necessary for their extraction and/or 
development. 
(dd)“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. 
(ee)“Non-Government Organization (NGO)” refers to a private, non-profit 
organization that is committed to the task of political and socio-economic, 
physical, cultural and environmental development and established primarily 
to provide service to the marginalized sectors in society. 
(ff) “People’s Organizaflon (PO)’ refers to a private, non-profit, voluntary and 
community-based organization established primarily to provide service to its 
members and the community in general. 
(gg)“fbysical framework plan” refers to an indicative plan promoting the most 
appropriate and rational use of land and other physical resources. It provides 
policy guidelines for all decisions relating to land use and environmental 
management, to prevent or mitigate the adverse effects of inappropriate 
resource utilization on the people’s welfare and their environment. It 
embodies both policies and strategies necessary to carry out goals and 
objectives. 
(hh)“fremafure or il/egal conversion” means the undertaking of any activity 
where the 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 Secretary of Agrarian 
Reform. 
(ii) “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. 
(jj) “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, and tourism. 
(kk) “Protected areas” refers to identified portions of land set aside by reason of 
their unique physical and biological significance, managed to enhance 
biological diversity, and protected against human exploitation. 
(11) 
“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. 
(mm) “Public lands or lands of the public domain” refer to lands that 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. 
(nn)”Reclassification of agricultural lands” refers to the act or process of 
allocating the declared alienable or disposable lands of the public domain to 
specific uses such as for agricultural, residential, industrial, or commercial. 
(oo)“Resettlernenf areas” refers 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 and 
homeless. 
(pp)“Settlemenf‘ refers to the habitat or built-up environment where human 
beings preferred to live in. 
(qq) “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. 
(rr) “Shoreline” refers to a strip of land covering at least one (1) kilometer from 
the point where seawater reach during the highest high tide. 
(ss) “Socialized Housing” refers to housing programs and projects undertaken 
by the Government or the private sector for the underprivileged and 
homeless citizens, which shall include sites and services development, long- 
term financing, liberalized terms on interest payments, and such other 
benefits in accordance with Republic Act No. 7279 otherwise known as the 
“Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA) of 1992.” 
(tt) “Socialized Housing Zones” refers to lands identified and designated by 
local government units as sites for socialized housing pursuant to Article IV 
of Republic Act No. 7279 and its implementing guidelines; these lands to be 


identified and designated shall include areas that are presently occupied by 
the urban poor, as well as those identified as resettlement areas as defined 
herein. 
(uu)“Susfainable developmenf 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. 
(vv) “Urban areas” refer to all cities regardless of their population density and to 
municipalities with population density of at least five hundred (500) persons 
per square kilometer. 
(ww) “Urbanizable areas” refers to the sites and land that, considering present 
characteristics and prevailing conditions, display marked and great 
potential of becoming urban areas within a period of five (5) years. 
minimum daily requirement of clean water to maintain a healthy life. 
(xx)“Wafer securifv is defined as sufficient access throughout the year to the 
(yy) “Wafer use” is defined as the appropriation of water for domestic, municipal, 
irrigation, power generation, inland fisheries, poultry and livestock, industrial 
and commercial, environmental, and recreational use. 
(zz) “Watershed‘ refers to attachment areas or drainage basin from which the 
waters of a stream or stream system are drawn. 
(aaa) “Zoning” refers to the regulatory tool for delineating the specific uses of 
lands in accordance with the approved land use plan within the territorial 
jurisdiction of a city or municipality and specifying the conditions for their 
regulation, subject to the limitation imposed by law and competent authority. 
(bbb) “Zoning ordinance” refers to a local legislation passed by the 
Sangguniang Pambayan or Panglungsod approving the development 
controVzoning plan, in accordance with an approved or adopted land use 
plan for the city or municipality, and providing for the regulations and other 
conditions on the uses of land including the limitation on the infrastructures 
that may be placed thereon within the territorial jurisdiction of a city or 
municipality. 
CHAPTER II 
NATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR LAND USE PLANNING 
Article One 
Hierarchy of 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 this Act, the Administration shall, in 
consultation with the concerned sectors through mandatory conduct of public hearings, 
formulate a national land use planning and zoning guidelines and standards that shall 
guide all local government units (LGUs) in formulating their comprehensive land use 
and zoning plans. Standards and guidelines on land use shall be set at the national 
level for major island groupings based on the data provided by the national base 
mapping program set forth in Section 26 hereof. Natural closure areas such as 
watersheds and ecosystems must also be taken into consideration in land use planning. 


SEC. 6. City and Municipal Land Use Plans. - Consistent with nationally 
prescribed standards and guidelines pursuant to the preceding section, the cities and 
municipalities shall, in consultation with the concerned sectors through mandatory 
conduct of public hearings, prepare their respective land use plans to determine the 
specific uses of their lands and other physical resources, including the delineation of 
actual boundaries on the ground within the territorial jurisdiction of the city or 
municipality and the translation and integration of sectoral plans in their respective land 
use plans. 
SEC. 7. Provincial and Regional Physical Framework Plans. - The provinces and 
the regional land use committees shall, in consultation with the concerned sectors 
through mandatory conduct of public hearings, prepare their respective provincial and 
regional physical framework plans that shall define the indicative uses and other 
physical resources therein and the delineation of actual boundaries on the ground within 
the territorial jurisdiction of the province based on the nationally prescribed standards 
and guidelines was well as the city and municipal plans. Provincial Physical Framework 
Plans (PPFP) shall consolidate, integrate, harmonize, and reconcile the land use plans 
of the component cities and municipalities of respective provinces. Regional Physical 
Framework Plans (RPFP) shall consolidate, integrate, harmonize, and reconcile the 
land use plans of respective provinces and independent and highly urbanized cities 
located in the concerned regions. Such plans shall be in consultation with the 
concerned sectors through mandatory conduct of public hearings. 
SEC. 8. Land Use Plans for Ancestral Domains. - Land use plans for the 
delineated and recognized ancestral domains shall be formulated by the ICCsllP 
themselves in accordance with their particular needs and traditional resource and 
management systems with the assistance of the National Commission on the 
Indigenous People (NCIP) and the LGUs concerned. Such plans shall be recognized 
and integrated in the local, provincial, regional and national physical framework plans. 
Physical framework plans, made prior to delineation of ancestral domains included in 
such plans or ordinances shall be without prejudice to the rights of the ICCs/lP 
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. - There shall be a hierarchy of plans 
from the city and municipal, to the provincial, to the regional, and to the national plans. 
Based on the completed land use plans at the city and municipal level, the PPFP, and 
the RPFP, the Administration shall formulate the National Physical Framework Plan or 
the 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 planning 
processes pertaining to the use of land resources shall conform to the standards and 
guidelines set forth therein. 
Article Two 
Local Land Use Planning and Zoning 
SEC. I O .  Basis of Cify or Municipal Land Use Plans. - The land use plans of 
cities and municipalities shall be formulated in consonance with the results of 
mandatory consultations of the various sectors in the community and subject to the 
nationally prescribed standards and guidelines pursuant to Section 5 hereof. 
SEC. 11. Coverage 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 except those declared protected areas under “protection land use” and 
“production land use,” as defined under Section 14 herein. 
SEC. 12. Period to conduct land use planning and zoning. -Within one (1) year 
from the promulgation of the standards and guidelines set forth by the Administration 
pursuant to Section 5 herein, all cities and municipalities shall prepare their respective 
land use and zoning plans. The actual zoning of all communities based on the 
standards and guidelines promulgated pursuant to Section 5 of this Act is required prior 
to the formulation of the NPFP. 
Article Three 
Framework for Land Use Planning 
SEC. 13. Basic Land Use Planning Considerations. - In determining the various 
land uses as provided in Section 22, the physical characteristics of the land, including 
the following, shall be considered: 
(a) Geology, geomorphology, geologic hazards (seismic, volcanic, sink holes, 
and landslide, among others), soil composition, terrain and slope; 
(b) Demography (population size, density, urban and rural areas, etc.); 
(c) Economic and related development activities; 
(d) Existing and potential use; 
(e) Environmental and other natural resource constraints; and 
(9 Existing government policies on land allocation, utilization, management and 
disposition. 
SEC. 14. Categories of Land Uses for Planning Purposes. - In determining and 
defining the NPFP, RPFPslPPFPs and the Comprehensive Land Use Plans (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 safeguards 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 NIPAS as 
provided by Republic Act No. 7586 and those outside the NIPAS that require 
rehabilitation and protection as identified by the Department of Environment and Natural 
Resources (DENR), in coordination with the concerned local government unit, and in 
consultation with concerned sectors in the community; 
(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, 
coastal zones excluded by the DENR that are in environmentally critical conditions, 
production forest, mineral lands, industrial andlor commercial 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 resettlement sites for 
socialized housing as provided in Republic Act No. 7279 and socialized housing zones; 
institutional (Le., sites of both local and national government offices, education and 
health facilities); recreational - including parks, urban forests, open and green spaces; 
and roads and transportation networks and facilities; and 
(d) lnfrastructure development - which shall cover areas, identified by LGUs, 
the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and other concerned 
government agencies as sites for priority infrastructure projects that will include, among 
others: power plants/stations and major substations; irrigation and flood control; 
sewerage and drainage facilities; water supply system and treatment plants; airports, 
seaports, fishports; major roads, bridges, and railway trunklines; farm-to-market roads; 
agricultural research and development farms and/or stations; waste disposal facilities; 
telecommunication stations an similar facilities; disaster mitigation facilities; and market 
sites. 
Provided, fhaf the determination of functional uses of lands within ancestral 
domains need not necessarily follow the land use categories provided in this Act. The 
concerned ICCs/ IP may formulate separate land use categories for delineated 
ancestral domains, in accordance with their particular needs and traditional resource 
and management systems and through the assistance of the NCIP. 
SEC. 15. Categories of Water use for planning purposes. - For purposes of this 
Act, the categories for water use 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. With six (6) 
months from the effectivity of this Act, after the conduct of public consultations, the 
National Water Resources Board (NWRB) and the Administration shall jointly adopt and 
issue implementing guidelines, rules and regulations that will promote the integration of 
sound water resource utilization, allocation, management and development with the 
requirements of rational land use planning. 
CHAPTER 111 
IMPLEMENTING STRUCTURE AND MECHANISM 
Article One 
Land Use Policy Administration 
SEC. 16. Reconstitution of the National Land Use Committee into the Land Use 
Policy Administration (LUPA). - The National Land Use Committee under the NEDA is 
hereby reconstituted into the Land Use Policy Administration (LUPA) or the 
Administration as referred to in this Act. The powers and functions vested by law to the 
Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) pertaining to land use are hereby 
transferred to the LUPA. The LUPA shall be the highest policy-making body on land use 
and shall perform the task of integration of efforts, monitoring of developments relating 
to land use, evolution of policies, regulation and direction. 
SEC. 17. Executive Board. -The Administration 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, to wit: 
(a) The Executive Secretary as Chairperson; 


(b) The Director-General of the NEDA as Vice-Chairperson; 
(c) The Secretaries of Environment and Natural Resources; Agriculture; Agrarian 
Reform; Trade and Industry; Public Works and Highways; Transportation and 
Communications; Energy; Science and Technology; Tourism; Interior and 
Local Government; and Justice; 
(d) The Chairperson of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating 
(e) Four (4) representatives from basic sectors with direct involvement in 
sustainable land use - Le., urban poor, peasants, fisherfolk, and indigenous 
peoples - who shall be appointed by the President based on the nomination 
and recommendation of the sectors they respectively represent; and 
Council (HUDCC); 
(9 The Administrator of the LUPA, as ex-officio member, who shall likewise act 
as the Secretary to the Board. 
A consultative body composed of seven (7) members from the private sector, 
particularly the business groups, NGOs and POs, and the academic community shall 
likewise be convened twice a year. 
SEC. 18. Powers and Funcfions. - The Administration shall have the following 
(a) Formulate policies on, and promulgate, in consultation with all concerned 
sectors, national and regional standards and guidelines on land use and 
physical planning, and issue corresponding rules and regulations to enforce 
compliance thereof; 
(b) Formulate a National Physical Framework Plan and its regional counterparts 
based on the land use plans at the local levels that shall serve as guide in 
translating the National Development Plan into physical and spatial terms; 
(c) Establish a National Land Use Information System, which shall integrate and 
process information on land use adallocation 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; 
(d) Undertake the gathering of data, the conduct of studies pertaining to land use 
planning, including studies on the management of identified lands uses, and 
such other studies not undertaken by other government agencies; 
powers and functions: 
(e) Review the physical framework and/or land use plans adopted by provinces 
and highly urbanized and independent cities, to ensure consistency with the 
National Land Use Planning and Zoning Guidelines and Standards as 
provided in Section 16, hereof; relative thereto, it may approve any such 
plans as a whole or in parts, and require such revision or modification thereof 
as may be necessary; 
(f) Issue the planning guidelines and initiate the preparation of the physical 
framework and land use plans at the regional and local levels, respectively. A 
mechanism for the translation of sectoral plans into spatial and physical 
dimensions for integration into the various local land use plans shall likewise 
be formulated. 


(9) Oversee and monitor concerned government agencies and entities of the 
government in the enforcement and implementation of policies and 
regulations related to land use and resources management and development. 
(h) Coordinate with, and assist other government agencies, LGUs, and 
instrumentalities in planning, developing, and implementing their land use 
classification programs, and to furnish, to the extent possible, technical 
assistance and guidance. 
(i) Hear and resolve conflicts in land use planning, classification, and allocation 
that may arise between agencies of the national government, between 
national and local, national and regional, andlor regional and local planning or 
development agencies, including local government units subject to Section 24 
and 25, hereof. 
0) 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 functions. 
(k) Adopt its own organizational plan and staffing pattern, and create central and 
regional offices for an effective and efficient way of providing service to the 
people. 
necessarily implied, inherent, incidental to, or related to the foregoing. 
(I) 
Perform such other functions, and exercise such other powers as may be 
SEC. 19. Offices, Units and Staff Support. -The Administration shall be assisted 
by a Secretariat under the general supervision and control of the Administrator. 
SEC. 20. Powers and Functions of the Administrator, - The Administrator shall 
have the following powers and functions: 
(a) Act as the Executive Head of the Administration and perform the powers and 
functions incident to said position; 
(b) Be responsible for the implementation and overall execution of the policies, 
rules and regulations, and decisions adopted by the Board; and as such, the 
Administrator shall issue the corresponding implementing administrative 
issuances, and promulgate opinions and interpretative circulars and rulings to 
ensure expeditious and effective implementation thereof; and 
(c) Perform such other powers and functions as may be inherent, incidental, or 
related to the foregoing. 
Any decision of the Administrator may be appealed to the LUPA Board within 
thirty (30) days upon receipt of such decision' by the person or party aggrieved 
therefrom. 
SEC. 21. Qualifications of the Administrator. - No person shall be appointed 
Administrator of the LUPA unless he or she is a citizen and resident of the Philippines, 
of good moral character, and of proven competence in any of the following fields: (a) 
environment andlor physical planning; (b) land resources management; or (c) 
development planning and management, for a period of ten (IO) years. The 
Administrator shall be appointed by the President and shall have the rank of a Cabinet 
Secretary. 


The Administrator shall be at least thirty-five (35) years of age on the date of their 
appointment, of good moral character, and recognized executive ability and 
competence in previous public or private employment. 
SEC. 22. Qualifications, Rank and Duties of the Deputy Administrators. - 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 whatever capacity and perform other 
functions and duties that may be assigned to him or her by the Administrator. 
SEC. 23. Central and Regional Offices. - The Administrator may organize at the 
central and regional levels such offices as may be necessary subject to Civil Service 
rules and regulations. 
Article Two 
Adoption, Approval and Review of Land Use Plans 
SEC. 24. Component cities and municipalities. - Component cities and 
municipalities shall have the power and authority to adopt and approve their respective 
land use plans through their respective Sanggunians and the enactment of zoning 
ordinances but subject to the power of review of their respective provinces. 
SEC. 25. 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 land use plans through their respective Sanggunians and 
the enactment of zoning ordinances but subject to the power of review of the 
Administration, through its Regional Land Use Committees. Until such time that the 
Administration shall have created its counterpart committees at the regional level, the 
Regional Land Use Committees under the Regional Development Council shall act as 
the counterpart of the Administration and shall perform such functions as defined under 
this Act. 
Article Three 
Responsibilities of the Na fional Government Agencies and Local Government Units 
SEC. 26. National Base Mapping Program. - A National Base 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 Resources Information Authority (NAMRIA), the Bureau of Soils and 
Water Management (BSWM), 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 (NWRB), and other 
concerned government agencies. 
For purposes of uniformity and standardization, the LGUs, properly 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. 27. National Geo-hazard Mapping Program. - A Geo-hazard Mapping 
Program on a national to regional scale shall be implemented jointly through LUPA, by 
the PHIVOLCS, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services 
Administration (PAGASA), and the Mines and Geologic 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 ground rupturing, liquefaction, land slides, flooding, river 
erosion, coastal erosion, sinkhole collapse, earthquake, tsunami, lava flows, lahar flows, 
pyroclastic flows, base surge, and other similar natural hazards. 
For purposes of uniformity and standardization and in order to develop a safe 
environment, the LGUs shall incorporate and integrate the generated geo-hazard 
zoning maps in the preparation of their respective PPFP, Development Master Plans, 
and CLUPs. Said geo-hazard maps shall serve as guide for all the LGUs in the 
preparation of their own hazards-constrained PPFP, Development Master Plans and 
Land Use Zoning Plans. 
SEC. 28. Scope and Nature of Responsibilities of Other National Government 
Agencies. - All concerned national government agencies or bodies shall periodically 
report to the Administration on the various activities and accomplishments relative to 
land use. Likewise, they shall provide their respective sectoralldevelopment plans and 
render technical and administrative support, if called upon by the Administration relative 
to the implementation of the provisions of this Act. 
SEC. 29. Moniforing fhe Implementation of fhe Physical Framework and Land 
Use Plans, - The local development councils shall submit an annual report on the 
implementation of their land use plans and zoning ordinances to the LUPA through the 
Sanggunian Panlalawigan or in the case of highly urbanized and independent cities, 
through their respective Sanggunians. 
Article Four 
Local Land Use Commitfee 
SEC. 30. Local Land Use Committee. - Local government units without existing 
Local Development Councils, as mandated by Republic Act No. 7160 shall create their 
respective Local Development Councils (LDCs) within one (1) year from the effectivity of 
this Act. Henceforth, 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 
and Water Use Committee to assist them in performing such functions as defined in this 
Act: Provided, Thaf membership therein must include representatives from concerned 
NGOs and POs such as, but not limited to, peasants, fisherfolk, urban poor, and 
indigenous cultural communities. Other concerned sectors shall likewise be invited 
during committee deliberations and public hearings. 
CHAPTER IV 
SPEClAL AREAS OF CONCERN 
Article One 
Agricultural Lands 
SEC. 31. Priority Areas for Agricultural Development. - Prioritizing areas for 
agricultural development must be based on the Strategic Agricultural and Fisheries 


Development Zones (SAFDZs) as defined by Republic Act No. 8435 or the “Agricultural 
and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997.” 
SEC. 32. Conversion of Agricultural Lands. - Agricultural lands are deemed 
converted to non-agricultural uses upon approval of the application for conversion by 
the DAR. Pending the completion of the mapping, the identification of specific areas 
under the NPAAAD and SAFDZs, and the approval of the National Physical Framework 
Plan, there shall be a moratorium in all applications for conversion of agricultural lands 
into non-agricultural uses commencing from the effectivity of this Act. 
Thereafter, 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 shall be determined by the Department of Agriculture (DA) with 
mandatory consultations with LGUs, private sector, NGOs and POs - shall be protected 
from conversion. Moreover, such protection shall include, but not limited to, areas under 
the NPAAAD: Provided, That all irrigated and irrigable lands, all lands with existing or 
potential for high value crops and 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 agricultural lands and areas, mentioned 
herein, shall be subject to review every five (5) years by the DA, after the conduct of 
mandatory public hearings. 
Consistent with the State policy on giving priority to the completion of the 
CARP, all the remaining lands under the CARP, including those lands covered under 
the notice of compulsory acquisitionholuntary offer to sell, production of profit-sharing, 
and commercial farm deferment of the CARP, shall likewise be full protected from any 
conversion pending the distribution and installation of the farmer beneficiaries. 
Thereafter, Section 65 of Republic Act No. 6657 shall apply. 
The DAR shall not give due course to any application for conversion of these 
protected areas, mentioned in this section. 
SEC. 33. Land Sub-classification by LGUs. - Sub-classification of agricultural 
lands to other uses, which shall exclude the protected agricultural lands, as stated in the 
preceding section, by the LGUs shall be governed by Section 20 of Republic Act No. 
7160 or the “Local Government Code of 1991.” The result of such sub-classification 
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, the DA and DAR shall provide the LGUs with a complete list and maps of 
protected agricultural lands. 
Article Two 
Other Land Use Conversion 
SEC. 34. Conversion of Non-Agricultural Lands. - The approved land use plans 
and zoning ordinance 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 National Physical Framework Plan upon its approval. A public hearing 
is required before any land use plan or zoning ordinance is passed. The Sangguniang 
Panglungsod or Pambayan shall approve any application for change of land use of non- 
agricultural lands based on the recommendation of local land use committees. 


Article Three 
Coastal Zones 
SEC. 35. Classification of Coastal Zones. - All public lands in the coastal zones 
shall be sub-classified as fishponds, mangrove, fisherfolk settlement and recreation or 
tourism areas. 
SEC. 36. 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 mangroves species shall be preserved for mangrove 
(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. 
production and will not be converted to other uses. 
(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 such lands 
devoid of mangrove stands will not be converted to other uses. The DENR 
shall ensure that these lands are 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 such undertaking 
will not result in environmental degradation. 
(e) Areas that are considered as traditional fishing grounds shall be used 
(9 Areas that are allocated for small infrastructure needed by fisherfolk shall be 
primarily for such purpose. 
allowed. 
(9) Areas that form part of foreshore lands as defined in this Act, including those 
that are under lease agreements or arrangements shall undergo zoning and 
evaluation to determine their boundaries and actual sizes and corresponding 
uses. 
(h) Areas that are classified for fisherfolk settlement and housing shall be 
allocated to: 
(1) traditional fishers who are inhabitants of the coastal communities; and 
(2) members of legitimate fisherfolk organizations who participate in coastal 
resource management initiatives and/or holders of stewardship, lease 
contracts and CADClCADT or any form of property rights arrangements. 
SEC. 37. Coastal Zones Land Sub-classification by LGUs. - Sub-classification of 
coastal zones to different uses, which shall exclude the protected areas, as stated in 
this Act, may be made by the LGUs with prior consultation with local FARMCs. 
SEC. 38. Reversion of Fishponds to Mangrove. - Fishponds covered by existing 
fishpond lease agreement, but, are abandoned or not operating efficiently, and are 
found suitable for mangroves shall be allowed to be revegetated back as mangrove 
forest. 


Article Four 
Production Forest 
SEC. 39. 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’s integrated social forestry; and other forestlands for special uses excluding 
critical watersheds as identified by the DENR, in coordination with concerned LGUs and 
national government agencies, and in consultation with concerned sectors. Based on 
slope classification, production forests are those within the eighteen (18) to fifty (50) 
percent slope regardless of forest cover. 
SEC. 40. 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: 
(a) Geology, geomorphology, soil and slope; 
(b) Classified public lands within the eighteen (18) to fifty (50) percent slope shall 
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; 
(c) 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 national government agencies, in 
consultation with concerned sectors; 
(d) All public lands above fifty (50) percent 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. 
Article Five 
Mineral Lands 
SEC. 41. Guidelines for the Utilization and Allocation of Lands for Mining 
Purposes. - To ensure that the objectives of maintaining ecological balance and 
maximizing economic returns to mining operations are realized and consistent with 
Republic Act No. 7942 otherwise known as the “Philippine Mining Act of 1995”, the 
allocation and utilization of lands for mining purposes shall be guided by the following: 
(a) Mining operations shall be undertaken with due consideration to the 
utilization, development and protection of land and other physical resources; 
(b) Small-scale mining shall be allowed provided safeguards are instituted to 
prevent environmental degradation of the mining site and adjacent areas; and 
(c) Mineral reservations that had become non-operational for more than five (5) 
years shall be placed under appropriate surface management by the DENR. 


SEC. 42. Reversion of Mineral Lands. - All exhausted mineral lands shall 
automatically revert to the category of forest lands, unless otherwise the DENR has 
classified such areas for other purposes: Provided, however, that in the case of mineral 
lands with slope below eighteen (18) percent and outside the areas under protection 
land use, the DENR shall recommend to Congress their further classification as 
alienable and disposable land of the public domain. 
SEC. 43. Criteria for the Classification of Mineral Lands as Alienable and 
Disposable Lands. - Exhausted mineral lands shall be classified as alienable and 
disposable lands upon the satisfaction of all of the following conditions: 
(a) The slope of the exhausted mineral lands shall not be above eighteen (18) 
(b) The rehabilitation of exhausted mineral lands can be accelerated if such 
percent; 
areas are released for other purposes; 
(c) 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, the findings of which shall serve as basis for making any 
recommendation on its re-classification; and 
(d) The land is found to be environmentally safe from natural hazards. 
Article Six 
Industrial Development Sites 
SEC. 44. Designation of Industrial Areas. - The identification and establishment 
of industrial development areas shall conform with the provisions of Republic Act No. 
7916, otherwise known as the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Law, 
Republic Act No. 7279, otherwise known as the Urban Development and Housing Act of 
1992, Republic Act No. No. 6657, othetwise known as the Comprehensive Agrarian 
Reform Law, and Section 32, hereof, taking into consideration the following: 
(a) Identified network of areas for agricultural development and protected 
(b) National policies on the regional dispersal of industries and agri-based 
(c) Identified growth areas and corridors in the National Development Plan; 
(d) National Integrated Protection Area System and other protected areas; 
(e) National Urban Development Framework; 
(f) Identified Socialized Housing Zones; 
(9) National Settlements Development Plan; and 
(h) National Infrastructure Development Plan. 
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. 
agricultural areas pursuant to Sections 32 and 33, hereof; 
industrial development; 


Article Seven 
Tourism Development Areas 
SEC. 45. Designation of Tourism Development Areas. - The identification, 
selection and development of tourism development areas shall be done in consultation 
and coordination with concerned LGUs, national government agencies, the private 
sector, and the affected communities. Consistent with Section 32 hereof, these areas 
shall likewise include those covered by legislation and other executive issuances, 
Article Eight 
Natural Resources 
SEC. 46. Reversion of Alienable and Disposable Lands to Forestlands. - Upon 
the recommendation of the Secretary of the DENR, duly reviewed and endorsed by the 
Administration, and after due consultations with the concerned LGUs and affected 
parties, Congress may authorize the reversion of alienable and disposable lands of the 
public domain or portions thereof to forestlands 
SEC. 47. 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) session days, 
determine by law the specific limit of forestlands and national parks. Thereafter, such 
forestlands and national parks shall be conserved and may not be diminished, except 
by law. 
SEC. 48. Priority Watershed Areas. - The DENR, in coordination with the DA, 
the LGUs, and other government agencies, including government-owned and controlled 
corporations and in consultation with concerned sectors, shall identify and delineate 
critical watershed areas that need to be reforested and/or withdrawn from other uses. 
SEC. 49. Management and Development of Inland Water Resources. - 
Management of 
inland water shall be at the watershed level. The Municipal 
Development Council with assistance from the DENR and other concerned agencies 
shall undertake the preparation for an integrated land and water use plan. An authority 
responsible for the formulation and implementation of the watershed management plan 
shall be formed at the watershed level. The watershed authority shall be composed of 
concerned line agencies and community stakeholders. 
Article Nine 
Settlements Development 
SEC. 50. Town, City and Settlements Development. - The development of town, 
city and settlements through the zoning ordinances of cities and municipalities shall be 
guided by zoning standards formulated by the LUPA. 
SEC. 51, Settlements with Geo-hazard Areas. - Settlements within geo-hazard 
areas may be allowed provided that mitigating and/or protective measures are adopted 
to address the potential danger or risk to lives and property within such settlements. In 
coordination with the concerned agencies of government, the LUPA shall provide 
assistance to concerned LGUs and settlers in instituting safety and corrective measures 
to address the potential danger or risk. 


SEC. 52. Protection of Ecological Harmony. - To ensure the ecological harmony 
of town, city and settlements, certain projects that can alter the present use of a zoned 
area shall not be issued a building permit, business permit, andlor development permit 
unless approved by the LUPA. The identification of these projects shall be done in 
coordination with the LGU concerned. 
SEC. 53. Designation of Waste Disposal Sites. - 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 
study and to facilitate processing of the environmental compliance certificate. This site 
or area shall be identified in the city or municipality’s land use plan and zoning 
ordinance. For this purpose, cities and municipalities shall establish their solid waste 
management program. Likewise, as provided under Section 33 of the Local 
Government Code, cities and municipalities may, through appropriate ordinances, bind 
themselves towards the establishment of a common solid waste management program. 
Within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act, the DENR, in coordination 
with concerned agencies, shall promulgate the necessary guidelines and standards for 
the formulation and establishment of solid waste management program by cities and 
municipalities, and shall submit the same to the Administration for review and approval. 
SEC. 54. 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 be used as sites for socialized 
housing pursuant to Article IV of Republic Act No. 7279. The local government units, in 
coordination with the Administration and the HUDCC, shall identify and designate 
socialized housing sites to ensure the availability of adequate land to meet the shelter 
needs of urban poor residents in their respective city or municipality. These socialized 
housing sites shall be identified and designated as socialized housing zones in the city’s 
or municipality’s land use plan and shall be established through appropriate zoning 
ordinances. 
Within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act, the Administration, in 
coordination with concerned agencies, pursuant to HUDCC Resolution No. 521, Series 
of 1992, Executive Order No. 124, Series of 1993 and other pertinent guidelines on the 
matter, shall promulgate the necessary guidelines for the identification and designation 
of socialized housing sites. All cities and municipalities in urban and urbanizing areas 
shall identify and designate their socialized housing sites within one (1) year from the 
effectivity of this Act and must submit the list of these sites and their respective 
hectarage to the HUDCC. These sites shall be used exclusively for housing that 
qualifies as socialized housing as defined in Republic Act No. 7279. 
SEC. 55. Zonification of the ldentified Site for Socialized Housing. - The 
identified sites for socialized housing shall be located in residential zones, identified by 
the city or municipality’s Zoning Ordinance duly approved by the HLURB. However, for 
cities and municipalities where the identified sites are not within the said residential 
zones, the location shall be within the priority sites and those which conform with the 
suitability criteria as defined in Section 6.3 and 6.4 of the Guidelines in HUDCC 
Resolution No. 521, Series of 1992, The identified sites shall be zoned as socialized 
housing zones as defined herein. 
The current Zoning Ordinance of the LGUs therefor shall be reviewed and 
revised such that the socialized housing component shall be integrated. 


SEC. 56. Valuation of Lands for Socialized Housing. - Equitable land valuation 
guidelines for socialized housing shall be set by the Department of Finance (DOF) 
on 
the basis of the market value reflected in the zonal valuation, or in its absence, on the 
latest real property tax declaration. For sites already occupied by qualified beneficiaries 
under Republic Act No. 7279, and sites identified as Socialized Housing Zones as 
defined in this Act, the DOF shall factor into the valuation, the blighted status of the land 
as certified by the local government unit or the National Housing Authority. 
SEC. 57. 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 Administration. 
Article Ten 
Infrastructure Development 
SEC. 58. 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 NEDA, in 
consultation with the concerned national government agencies (NGA), the 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 
(b) Upgrade existing facilities to international standards; 
(c) Address the need for sustainable settlements development; and 
(d) Help mitigate the destructive effects of natural disaster-causing phenomena 
or those that shall serve as alternative to existing infrastructures found in 
natural hazard-prone areas. 
priority on food security and self-sufficiency concerns; 
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 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 funther, 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 consultations, as stated in the provisions of the “Local Government Code of 
1991”, as well as the rules on just and humane demolitions or evictions under Section 
28 of the “Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992”and the said NGA shall submit 
a report complying with the aforementioned provisions of law to the concerned LGU 
prior to project implementation 
SEC. 59. 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 
environmental impacts that will emanate from these infrastructure projects subject to the 
findings and recommendations of a feasibility study and/or and environment impact 
assessment in accordance with Presidential Decree Nos. 1586 and 4846 for areas of 
unique historical, archaeological, or scientific interest. 


Existing infrastructures found to be improperly located as well as those posing 
threats to the environment, integrity of historical, archaeological, 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 consultations, as stated in the provisions of the Local Government Code, as 
well as the rules on just and humane demolitions or evictions under Section 28 of 
Republic Act No. 7279: Provided further, that said NGA shall submit a report complying 
with the aforementioned provisions of law to the concerned LGU prior to project 
implementation. 
The DPWH, DOE, DOTC, in coordination with the concerned NGAs, the LGUs 
and the private sector shall identify and assess all 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 
Fisheries Preservation 
SEC. 60. Disposition of Public Lands for Fishpond. - Upon effectivity of this Act, 
no fishpond lease agreement (FLA) shall be issued for tidal swamps, mangroves and 
other swamps, marshes, ponds, foreshore land and coastal areas within public lands 
including those presently declared available for fishpond development; Provided, 
however, that existing fishponds covered by FLAs shall be exempted from this 
provision. 
The Administration, in coordination with DENR, DA, FARMCs and LGUs shall set 
aside a portion of available public lands for fish propagation, fish sanctuary, 
conservation and ecological purposes and fisherfolk settlement areas. 
SEC. 61. lmmediate Resforation of Converted Mangrove Areas. - The 
Administration, in coordination with FARMCs and other concerned agencies shall 
immediately take steps in the restoration of all abandoned, undeveloped and 
underutilized fishponds to their original mangrove state. 
SEC. 62. Tourism and Recreation Zone. - The designation of areas for tourism 
and resorts near to, or over fishery areas or ports thereof, shall be with the consent of 
concerned LGUs and FARMCs, subject to the policies and guidelines of this Act. 
Article Twelve 
Education and Value Formation 
SEC. 63. Mandafory Curriculum Content. - In order to create a well-informed, 
responsive and critical 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. 64. lnformation and Education Campaign. - The Administration shall 
coordinate a nationwide education information campaign in land use and physical 
planning to be implemented by local and national government agencies. The DlLG and 
concerned agencies shall formulate 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. 
CHAPTER V 
INCENTIVES, SANCTIONS AND PENALTIES 
Article One 
Incentives and Awards 
SEC. 65. Formulation of a System of Incentives and Awards. - The 
Administration shall come out with a system of incentives and awards to LGUs that 
regularly update their Comprehensive Land Use Plans and/or Zoning Ordinances within 
the prescribed period as follows: 
(a) Provinces, Highly Urbanized Cities, and Independent Cities - once every ten 
(IO) years or less; and 
(b) Component Cities and Municipalities - once every five years or less. 
SEC. 66. Priority in Giving Technical Assistance to LGUs. - National government 
agencies shall give priority to cities and municipalities with approved development plans 
or zoning ordinances in terms of providing technical assistance and other forms of 
support as may be deemed necessary. 
Article Two 
Sanctions and Penalfies 
SEC. 67. Fine on Non-completion and Non-commencement of Development of 
Agricultural Lands with Approved Order of Conversion. - Any landowner andlor his 
designated developer or duly authorized representative, who fails to commence and/or 
complete the development of agricultural lands with approved order of conversion shall 
be penalized, jointly and 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 (I) 
year from the date of the order of 
conversion:’ 
(1) Six percent (6%) for the first three hectares; 
(2) Fifteen percent (15%) for the next three hectares; and 
(3) Thirty percent (30%) for the remaining area. 
Provided, that in such case, the order of conversion shall be revoked, by 
operation of law, and revert back to its original use as agricultural land and 
shall be covered by the DAR through compulsory acquisition for distribution to 
qualified beneficiaries. 
(b) On failure to complete sixty percent (60%) of the approved conversion time 
with a specified time frame, the DAR shall automatically issue an order 
revoking the conversion plan on the undeveloped portion, which shall revert 
back to its original use as agricultural land. The said land shall be covered 
under the CARP and processed for land distribution as soon as possible. 


SEC. 68. Authority to Impose Fine. - The DAR shall impose the penalty provided 
under the preceding section. 
SEC. 69. 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 other licenses that may be 
necessary to develop the agricultural land subject of conversion. 
SEC. 70. Utilization of Fines. - The fines collected under Section 67 hereof shall 
automatically accrue to the Agrarian Reform Fund consistent with the provision of 
Republic Act No. 6657. 
SEC. 71. Failure to formulate, enforce, and/or implement the Comprehensive 
Land Use Plans (CLUPs) and Zoning Ordinances (ZOs). - Consistent with due process, 
the Administration in coordination with the DlLG 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: 
(a) Failure to implement and enforce the CLUP and/or ZO due to negligence of 
(b) Failure to 
provide appropriate budgetary allocation to 
effect 
its 
(c) Failure to complete the preparation of the CLUP despite the availability of 
duty; 
implementation; 
funds, resources, and support by the Sanggunian concerned; and 
(d) Failure of the CLUPs and/or ZOs to conform to the prescribed national 
guidelines and standards as provided in Section 5, hereof and thereafter, with 
the National Physical Framework Plan 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 for any of the foregoing acts, after due notice and 
hearing by the appropriate body or agency, shall be punished with forfeiture of salaries 
and allowance and suspension from: 
(1) Six (6) to nine (9) months, in case of non-implementation of the CLUP and/or 
ZO; or 
(2) Three (3) to six (6) months, in case of non-completion of the CLUP and/or 
SEC. 72. Premature or Illegal Conversion. - Paragraph 2, Section 11 of Republic 
Act No. 8435, otherwise known as the “Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization Act of 
1997, is hereby amended to 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 improvements thereon: PROVIDED THAT IF THE OFFENDER IS A 
JURIDICAL 
PERSON, 
THE 
PENALTY 
SHALL 
BE 
IMPOSED 
ON 
THE 
RESPONSIBLE OFFICER THEREOF.” 
zo . 


In addition, the DAR may impose the following penalties, after determining, in an 
(a) Cancellation or withdrawal of the authorization for land use conversion; and 
(b) Blacklisting or automatic disapproval of pending and subsequent conversion 
applications that may be filed with the DAR by the same persons, natural or 
juridical. 
SEC. 73. Person(s) abetting illegal conversion. - Any person initiating, causing, 
inducing, or abetting illegal conversion shall, upon conviction, be imprisoned for not less 
than seven (7) years but not more than twelve (12) years and pay a fine of not less than 
two hundred fifty thousand (P250,OOO.OO) 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 to hold public office and forfeiture of 
all hislher benefits and entitlements accruing to his public position 
administrative proceeding, that violation of this Act has been committed: 
SEC. 74. 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 32 hereof, into non-agricultural uses 
shall be punished with imprisonment of not less than seven (7) years but not more than 
twelve (12) years and a fine of not less than two hundred fifty thousand (P250,OOO.OO) 
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 to hold public office and forfeiture of all hislher benefits and entitlements 
accruing to his 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. 75. Mandatory Review Every Seven Years. - Congress shall undertake a 
mandatory review of this Act at least once every seven (7) years from the effectivity of 
this Act, 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 Administration to undertake the necessary researches, consultations 
and public hearings. 
Article Two 
Transitory Provisions 
SEC. 76. Convening of the Administration. - 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 the NEDA and the Chief Executive Officer 
of the HLURB 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. 
SEC. 77. Preparation of Implementing Rules and Regulations and other 
immediate tasks. - Within one hundred twenty (120) days from the effectivity of this Act, 
the Administration, 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 Administration shall also review existing rules and 
regulations on land use, and based therefrom, revise such rules and regulations, or 
cause concerned agencies to revise them for the efficient and effective implementation 
of the provisions of this Act. All concerned national government agencies and bodies 
shall inform the Administration of the status of the implementation of such rules and 
regulations. 
The Administration 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 Administration shall review 
and revise, if appropriate, all existing national planning guidelines and standards to 
facilitate the exercise of land use planning and zoning functions of local government 
units. 
All existing rules and regulations shall be in force and effect unless revoked by 
SEC. 78. Effectivity of the Reconstitution of the National Land Use Committee 
(NLUC) into the LUPA. - Until such time that the LUPA has been organized and fully 
operational, the NLUC and the HLURB shall continue exercising their 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 preferential 
consideration shall be given to existing officers and employees of the NLUC and 
HLURB who possess the appropriate and necessary skills and eligibility and meets the 
qualification standards for the positions. 
SEC. 79. 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. 
the Administration or other competent authorities. 
In case such amount is insufficient, the Administration may request for 
augmentation of funds from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). 
Thereafter, the Administration shall be included in the General Appropriations for the 
next year. 
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. 80. Review of existing land use plans. - Provinces, cities and municipalities 
with existing land use plans shall review, revise, reconcile and harmonize the same with 
the guidelines and standards set forth under this Act. 
Article Three 
Final Provisions 
SEC. 81. Repealing Clause. - Section 9 of Republic Act No. 8435 and all other 
laws and administrative issuancesare hereby modified by Section 32 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 or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 82. 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. 83. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved