THE Housing Land Use Regulatory Board-Northern Luzon Regional Office (HLURB-NLRO) encouraged the local government of Baguio and other local government units (LGUs) in the Cordillera Administrative Region to intensify the management of its existing land use plan.
Lawyer Gedd De Vera, Adjudication and Monitoring Division of HLURB-NLRO, explained the board’s assurance to assist LGUs in formulating for its land use plan.
“There is a need for local government units in the region to manage its land use for it not to be depleted since it does not increase. The depletion of our land resources will have a domino effect on our other resources,” De Vera said.
The law ensuring rational land use and sustainable urban and regional development is contained in Executive Order No. 72 – providing for the preparation and implementation of the Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUPs) of LGUs pursuant to the Local Government Code of 1991.
Memorandum Circular No. 54 – prescribes the guidelines of Sec. 20, Republic Act 7160, authorizing cities/municipalities to reclassify lands into non-agricultural uses while Executive Order No. 124 – establishes the priorities and procedures in evaluating areas for land conversion in regional agricultural/industrial centers, tourism development areas and sites for socialized housing.
Meanwhile Maria Amoroso, officer–in–charge and head of planning, registration and licensing division of HLURB-NLRO agreed the need to review the existing Clup of Baguio City due to its increasing population.
“Aside from being the center of education in the north where migrants flock to study in Baguio City, there is a need for the city to enhance its CLUP to see to it that the basic needs of Baguio City would be sufficient like in terms of housing, the amenities, water and others. We have lots of problems in Baguio City like waste and that is why there is an urgent need for the city to revisit its comprehensive land use plan and also disaster management plan to identify areas in Baguio City that are high risk,” Amoroso added.
Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong recently announced the HLURB’s is inclined to fund the land development of the city government’s housing projects to be erected on two city-owned properties geared towards addressing the housing needs of government workers and the homeless.
The mayor said the city-owned 1.2-hectare property in Gibraltar will be used for the housing of employees and officials of the city government while the other 1.8-hectare property will be for used for socialized housing project and proposed evacuation center for calamity victims.