A tool exists to correct this — a National Land Use Code — but successive Congresses for nearly 30 years have been unwilling to pass it. As of last year, there were 18 different land use bills pending in the House of Representatives, and four in the Senate. Parameters would be established for sustainable land use at all levels of government in terms of land protection, different types of production, infrastructure use, and settlement uses. Not having a comprehensive land use code has resulted in what anyone can easily see in the Philippines now. Agriculture land is converted, sometimes illegally, for industrial or commercial use, or residential real estate development.

Source: Manila Times June 28, 2022 22:16 UTC