Admin bets vow to unlock proposed land use act

Senatorial candidates from Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas on Wednesday pledged to break the decades-long congressional stalemate on the proposed National Land Use Act (NLUA), asserting that its passage requires strong political will and the appointment of reform-minded committee leaders committed to land use planning and sustainability.

Former Senate President Vicente Sotto III stressed the need for strong leadership and sustained commitment in Congress, noting that the NLUA's progress has been stalled by the failure of both chambers to act in unison.

"It has to be a combination," Sotto stressed, recalling that the Senate passed the measure during his presidency, but the House failed to act.

He added that when the House eventually approved its version years later, the Senate committee handling it failed to advance it. Sotto underscored the importance of selecting the right committee chairpersons in both chambers who will prioritize the bill and guide it through the legislative process.

The proposed NLUA aims to establish a comprehensive, science-based policy to guide the classification, allocation, and sustainable use of land across the Philippines. It seeks to balance competing demands for housing, agriculture, industry, and environmental protection while preventing haphazard development and unchecked land conversion.

Alyansa believes that the absence of such a framework leaves the country vulnerable to worsening climate impacts, unregulated urban expansion, and long-term threats to food security.

Despite repeated endorsements from previous administrations and its recent certification as urgent by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the NLUA has remained stalled due to alternating inaction by either chamber of Congress.

Alyansa candidates have committed to ensuring the NLUA is passed within the first year of the 20th Congress.

The Alyansa slate includes Lacson, Sotto, former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos, Makati City Mayor Abby Binay, Senator Ramon Bong Revilla, Senator Pia Cayetano, Senator Lito Lapid, former Senator Manny Pacquiao, Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, ACT-CIS Representative and former Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo, and Deputy Speaker Camille Villar.