House approves National Land Use Act

THE House Special Committee on Land Use approved the proposed National Land Use Act (NLUA) last week.

NLUA is a landmark measure that seeks to establish a unified national policy on how land is allocated, developed, and protected across the country.

The committee, chaired by Surigao del Norte Rep. Francisco “Lalo” T. Matugas, fast-tracked the approval of the bill, which has been pending in Congress in various forms for nearly 30 years and was previously approved on third and final reading during the 19th Congress.

For Filipino citizens, the measure moves the country from short-term and reactive land decisions to clear, long-term national planning, following the approval of the bill under the Matugas-led House Special Committee on Land Use.

Instead of responding to disasters only after communities have already been harmed, the law sets national rules on where settlements can safely be built, which agricultural lands must be protected, and which high-risk areas should no longer be developed.

This gap in planning was evident in the recent flash floods in Cebu that displaced families from low-lying communities, as well as in the fire that struck parts of Surigao City, where questions over permanent relocation and accommodation for all displaced families remain unresolved—situations the proposed law seeks to prevent by addressing land use issues before lives and livelihoods are put at risk.

Matugas underscored the urgency of passing the measure, citing the long-standing consequences of fragmented land management, including the conversion of prime agricultural lands, settlements in hazard-prone areas, and recurring environmental and land-use conflicts.

The National Land Use Act is a priority measure of the Marcos administration and part of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council’s common legislative agenda. 

Having secured committee approval, the bill will next be taken up by the House Committee on Appropriations before proceeding to second and third readings at the plenary level.

House leaders have expressed their commitment to advance the measure with urgency, raising expectations that the long-stalled bill may finally move closer to enactment after decades of delay.