Bag-ao to Senate, CREBA:

Do we need another crisis to pass NLUA?

By Angelica Carballo

0915-9260371

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - “Ang problema po, kailangan pa natin lagi ng sakuna para magsabi ang lahat, Senador man o Kongresista o taga-CREBA, na kailangan natin ng isang National Land Use Act. Do we want another food crisis or another PABLO to emphasize the need to protect our lands for food security, our forests and our watersheds?”said AKABAYAN representative Kaka Bag-ao.

“NLUA is NOT equal to CARP Extension. Show me where it is, whether in the House or Senate Bill. I cannot understand what CREBA’s motive is not to support a bill that only wants to ensure that basic life support is guaranteed,” said Bag-ao.

In a press conference last week, Bag-ao contradicted CREBA’s claims that the NLUA has provisions on land acquisition and distribution that supports CARP Extension. Bag-ao says that the NLUA broadly attempts to put the proper perspective in land use especially given different land laws were already passed.

The NLUA supports the delineation of Protection land use for food security, environmental conservation and climate change adaptation and mitigation. Prime agricultural lands were added to protected areas to ensure that the Philippines food self-sufficiency goals are met for the next 30 years.

The bill was stalled on second hearing after Senator Bongbong Marcos was nowhere to be found in the Plenary hall to deliver his amendments on the Bill. His absence led Senate Majority Floor Leader Tito Sotto to suspend the deliberations on the Bill. He said there are 53 amendments from CREBA (Chamber of Real Estate and Builders Association, Inc.) coursed through Senator Marcos for the NLUA.

Senators Villar, Enrile and Recto, who also reserved to interpellate did not proceed anymore. Senator Enrile reasoned the day before that he wanted to study the bill further. The NLUA was already issued a certification as urgent by Malacanang last February 1.

Bag-ao said, “The President’s certification is a value-added since it was already a priority legislation at the beginning of the 15^th congress. The NLUA has been refiled since the 8^th Congress. So it is just odd that many of the senators who said they need time to study the bill still want more time because they were already legislators many congresses ago.”

Bag-ao looks forward that on June 5 the Senators have studied the NLUA and give meaningful amendments. "I believe the Senate will not put this aside and pass this on 3^rd reading before they adjourn in the 15^th Congress," said the party-list rep.

“KANIN o SEMENTO ang kakainin niyo?”

Meanwhile, in a separate press conference last Feb.8 , land use experts, government officials with farmers, fishers, urban poor blasted the Senators and realtors that derailed the passing of the National Land Use Act (NLUA) last Wednesday, February 6.

Carrying a plate of rice and a plate of cement, the group stressed that if we want our future generations to be fed, the NLUA must be passed.

Together with Rep. Bag-ao were Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Segfredo Serrano, Climate Change Commissioner Yeb Sano, land use expert and environmental planner Dr. Elmer Mercado, former Commissioner of the Presidential Commission on the Urban Poor Percy Chavez, and sector leaders from the farmers, fisherfolk and urban poor sectors.

Environmental planner Dr. Elmer Mercado said, “It’s actually no question why we need NLUA. It’s a global concern, it addresses disaster and climate change mitigation, food security and safe settlements as well. The national land use act will give an overall framework to the country’s sustainable use of resources.”

Mercado continues, “If CREBA understands the law, it will know that NLUA does not give away local autonomy from the LGUs. It recognizes different situations for every local government but there is a need for an overall framework and guide in land use planning. Parang holen na dapat hindi titirahin na sabog-sabog para iisa lang ang direksyon,“ he added.

Percy Chavez, former Presidential Commission on the Urban Poor Chair said that housing and urban poor sector recognizes food security needs and that prime land cemented cannot be reverted back to agriculture. “3.7 million units of housing are needed. With NLUA, there will be selected places for appropriate housing for all sectors,” stressed Chavez.

Climate Change Commissioner Yeb Sano said that our problem with disasters is not climate change itself but poor land use planning. He said, “We are now at the top 10 with high risk to climate change. We have low coping and adaptive capacity and a lot of it has to do with land use. So to increase our adaptive capacity, we need to use our lands properly with NLUA’s framework, especially for identifying geohazard areas for settlements and infrastructure.“

Members of the Campaign for Land Use Policy Now! (CLUP Now!) were highly dismayed by the result of the Senate session. Last Monday, February 4, the Certification as Urgent of the NLUA bill from Malacanang was delivered and read at the Senate floor. This boosted CLUP Now’s hopes for the passage of a law that was first filed in the 9^th Congress.

The Marcos and Villar amendments already reached Senator Gringo Honasan, NLUA’s sponsor, on Tuesday and Wednesday. “Senator Honasan was ready to answer all the amendments. But Senator Marcos openly defied the Presidential order to pass the NLUA urgently by not showing up at all. We would have welcomed a debate to refine the bill further. Bong-bong’s absence has put this nation and all our children’s future food security and safety at risk. As a parent, I got very upset,” said Anthony Marzan, CLUP Now! convenor.

The CREBA amendments centered on striking out the coverage of prime agricultural lands under the Protection Areas land use category. They also question the conversion and reversion clauses and penalties in the bill, saying it was sounding too much like another CARP Extension Law.

“Makitid po ang analysis na iyan dahil higit na malawak ang sakop ng batas NLUA sa paggamit ng lupa. Di lang Protection land use ang sinisiguro niyan kundi ang mga tamang lugar na panirahan. Kailangan wala ito sa lugar na madaling naapektuhan ng pagbaha at pagguho ng lupa upang maiwasan ang mga aksidente na kumikitil ng napakaraming buhay,” stressed Audie Lavador of the Urban Land Reform Movement.