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SEN.
Edgardo J. Angara on Tuesday urged fellow legislators to
hasten the crafting of a national land use map and
review the existing land use plan and classification
enforced in the country to help in stimulating the
economic growth of the country.
In his
report during an en banc meeting of the Congressional
Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries
Modernization (COCAFM), Angara said he is concerned over
the issuance of titles of forest lands as well as their
conversion to alienable and disposable lands, saying it
greatly affects the country’s natural wealth.
“The
land use plan is a precondition to better classify our
lands may it be for marine and fisheries use. Over the
past 10 years, even the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources (DENR) have started issuing titles
over forest lands. Our experience in Aurora, we have
70-percent forested land, this is good to know; however,
when we carefully examined it the DENR has been issuing
land titles not only permits land use. Apart from DENR,
the NCIP has also been issuing titles. With this
dilemma, we must set a land map to be able to classify
our resources so we are able to assess we have right
now,” said Angara in a statement.
 Angara cochairs COCAFM with Rep. Abraham Khalil Mitra of Palawan.
Earlier,
Angara observed that local governments had difficulty
identifying their boundaries because some wanted to have
bigger areas so they can get bigger revenues, especially
after the Local Government Code was passed.
Political boundaries of the local government units (LGUs)
were originally under the survey authority of the
defunct Bureau of Lands (which later became Land
Management Bureau under the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources).
However, when the Local Government Code was enacted
in1991, the political boundary was transferred to the
LGU because the computation of the Internal Revenue
Allotment (IRA) of each LGU is computed based on the
geographical area.
“And
since the IRA and Local Government Code were passed, the
boundary of a municipality of a province became unclear.
LGUs were scrambling for bigger areas of the fact that
they will get a bigger IRA. The consequence of the
problem is that the boundaries of the places in the
Philippines are now turning into disarray. We should
address this quickly,” he said.
The
delegation of surveying to the LGUs has caused conflict
and boundary disputes among provinces, cities and
municipalities, which continue until today, he added.
Angara observed that special tenurial arrangements, which were
recently enforced, tend to endanger remaining land
assets.
“I am
also concerned with the problems on land boundaries and
surveying. When these special tenurial arrangements were
introduced, no forest zone was left in our country.
Apart from the ancestral domain lease, there are also
leases for tourism as well as agroforestry. You cannot
distinguish anymore what is purely agricultural and what
can be human settlement area,” said Angara.
He said
he is concerned, “especially because now our number one
problem or at least one of two biggest problems that our
country faces is food and fuel. If we cannot distinguish
these boundaries and we destroy our protected areas even
our forest domain, how can we be productive
agriculturally?” Angara said.
He urged
experts in land boundaries to determine the proper
classification of land as well as its purpose.
“I hope
that we all meet together and finally do that for the
sake of our children and the next generation; because I
have seen in my public career public parks that used to
be green and full of forest. I used to pass in the early
70s the Bicol National Park, but now you cannot see any
tree in that park,” he said.
“So, we
need to help each other, surveyors, environmentalists,
public officials in general, to protect our natural
resources and guard the proper use of our remaining land
assets. And we want to show that with determination,
with the right political leadership, and of course, with
resources, you can protect your habitat, you can protect
your food basket, you can protect your water resources,
you can protect your marine resources I think that’s the
most important,” Angara added.
Angara, a former secretary of agriculture, said the enactment of a
comprehensive land use plan will cushion the country
from the prevailing rice crisis and eventually boost
long-term sustainability of the agriculture sector.
Should a
comprehensive Land Use Plan be finally passed, Angara
pointed out that all lands in the country should address
food security concerns. |
