Agricultural land conversion ban

[Olivia Fillone]

The proposed bill of Senator Kiko Pangilinan on the subject is so timely and absolutely relevant. We are running out of farmlands and food security on account of unwarranted agricultural land conversions. Recently, I just learned first-hand that despite the existing Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) and Zoning Ordinance (ZO) of San Jose de Buenavista (SJDB), Antique officially protecting agricultural lands from land conversion for food security purposes, its own provincial government went ahead with the construction of the provincial capitol in SUPA.

 

Supa is one of many barangays in SJDB with protected status, because the farmlands there are irrigated, being host to the biggest and most productive farmlands (predominantly rice). Yet despite the previous and existing CLUP of SJDB upholding the protected status of these lands, the provincial government went ahead and purchased lands and built the capitol with impunity.

 

Which begs these questions: (1) what's the point of preparing CLUPs and ZOs when the local governments themselves refuse to respect them? (2) why no sanctions against local governments like Antique Province for violating the ZO of its capital town? (3) why the inaction of government agencies (e.g., DA, DHSUD, DEPDev, DAR) that should be looking into land use and food security issues?

 

If I were a resident of SJDB, I'd sue the provincial government. Unfortunately, I was just one of the environmental planners who prepared its approved CLUP. That's how I know this issue too well. It also behooves me how we as a professional organization could take a stand in favor of the proposed bill.  Or is that too much to expect?

Pangilinan bats for bill protecting agricultural lands for food security

[franzthom...@yahoo.com]

Good afternoon, Ma'am Fillone. Please ask the local government unit of SJDB and the Provincial Government on the efforts of DHSUD 6 on this issue.

Thank you.

Franz

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[Olivia Fillone]

Hi, Sir Franz, good afternoon. Yes, I will certainly do that when I get back from Manila.

I had been in touch with DHSUD-6 on this matter last year, and greatly appreciated how your office under RD Eva Marfil managed to facilitate the approval of the existing SJDB CLUP at the PLUC level after 2 years (?), despite strong opposition from the provincial government of Antique. Unfortunately, the issue goes far beyond CLUP approval; as we all see now, the ZO was grossly disregarded with the continued construction of the provincial capitol on protected agricultural lands (i.e., Supa).

In addition, I am raising the issue here because food security - an urgent public concern - is often sacrificed at the altar of vested interests for so long and in so many places. The case of SJDB happens to be the most visible demonstration that I could cite because I have first-hand knowledge of what happened there. In my opinion, SJDB's case assumes greater significance because it is the government itself - not real estate developers - that openly chose to violate the ZO of its capital town. What does that imply? That the CLUP despite its considerable cost and technical rigor is at the end of the day just a suggestion? That the ZO despite being a local law of a constituent LGU can just be ignored by provincial governments? Is the national government and its regional counterpart basically helpless when market forces coupled by dire socioeconomic conditions compel small farmers to sell their subsidized irrigated lands?

Frankly, I would appreciate an exchange of perspectives here. For one, planners in government agencies like you can certainly enlighten us on what DHSUD is empowered to do and what it has done under circumstances such as that of SJDB. All in the interest of professional learning and social advocacy; I'd like to think that our perspectives can be stretched far beyond the completion of technical documents to a deeper commitment to desired collective outcomes (e.g., food security).

Sincerely,

Olive