Philippine agriculture chief urges passage of national land use law to protect farmlands

The Department of Agriculture said a national land use law is needed to identify and protect prime agricultural lands, guiding investment toward areas that can sustain long-term food production. Colliers Research noted the measure could reshape the property sector by imposing stricter land-use stand

The Department of Agriculture (DA) said enacting a national land use law is critical to identifying and protecting prime agricultural lands, allowing the government and private sector to focus investments on areas that can sustain long-term food production.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. stressed the importance of a national land use code in supporting the farm sector. “It’s important that the law is enacted to make it clear and to protect what are the real agri lands and so we can invest more in land that will be really for agri,” he told BusinessWorld via WhatsApp.

Mr. Laurel’s comment came after Economy Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan called for the passage of the legislation as population growth continues to outpace rice production growth. A national land use framework would help safeguard farmland by identifying areas that should be retained for agriculture despite mounting pressure from residential, commercial and industrial expansion.

Former Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar also backed the proposed national land use act. “Our population is growing. I agree that a national land use act be enacted,” Mr. Dar said. He said the measure should protect prime agricultural lands, particularly irrigated areas, and consider the value chain system for agriculture and agribusiness. Mr. Dar also said farm clustering and consolidation remain important strategies for achieving economies of scale, urging the government to encourage and incentivize partnerships between the private sector and clustered small farmers to improve productivity and incomes.

Colliers Research Director Joey Roi H. Bondoc said the proposed national land use law could reshape the property sector by protecting prime agricultural lands and imposing stricter land-use standards. “However, this will not completely affect developers with existing land banks earmarked for conversion or expansion,” he said in a Viber message. Mr. Bondoc said the bill’s penalties would mainly target illegal, speculative or nonperforming land banking, including conversions carried out without Department of Agrarian Reform’s approval or projects that remain idle without valid justification.

Landholdings with valid titles, existing zoning classifications, or approved or properly pending applications for DAR conversion would not automatically be affected, he said. “The bill also helps identify agricultural lands which may no longer be economically viable for farming and may qualify for reclassification or conversion,” he added. Under the bill, land would be classified into protection, production, settlements, and infrastructure. This could help developers identify areas intended for urban expansion, mixed-use estates, and population centers. “Once settlement zones are established, they are less likely to be subject to sudden reclassification or conversions,” Mr. Bondoc added.

Although projects near ancestral domains, environmentally sensitive areas and hazard-prone zones may face tighter requirements, clearer land-use designations could reduce overlapping claims, legal disputes and project delays, he said. Overall, he said the measure could benefit the property sector over the long term if its implementation balances the interests of farmers, developers, consumers, and investors.

For decades, bills seeking to establish a national land use code have been filed in Congress, but none has been signed into law. On May 5, the House of Representatives approved House Bill No. 8466, or the proposed National Land Use Act, on third and final reading. Several Senate bills are still pending at the committee level.