Daily Tribune
The local government of San Felipe and the Provincial Government of Zambales, with the help of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) Olongapo, have conducted a delineation and reclassification of unclassified public land to Alienable and Disposable (A&D) status.
Jonas Reyes
The local government of San Felipe and the Provincial Government of Zambales, with assistance from the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) Olongapo, have conducted the delineation and reclassification of unclassified public land to Alienable and Disposable (A&D) status.
The initiative, supported by the El Zamba Villas — a community of resort owners in San Felipe — is seen as a crucial step toward future land awards.
According to El Zamba Villas, the project “is specifically designed to significantly boost the tourism program in San Felipe, Zambales, which has more than 400 out of 900 resort operators in the province.”
The LGU-DENR Delineation Program aims to resolve long-standing land issues that have hampered progress in San Felipe, including illegal claims, where disputes arise from ownership based on false tax declarations; danger zone encroachment, which targets illegal structures in hazard-prone areas; and violations, focusing on establishments with official DENR Notices of Violation.
“By resolving these long-standing issues, the Delineation Program will finally pave the way for a more robust and organized tourism program in San Felipe, Zambales,” El Zamba Villas stated.
The delineation and reclassification process formally identifies the boundaries of public land and converts it into a legal status where ownership by private citizens or entities is allowed. This administrative step — jointly implemented by the DENR and local government units — helps settle land disputes and enables the use of land for housing, agriculture, or tourism development.
The process requires a formal government act to convert land from inalienable to alienable status, as long-term occupation alone does not suffice.
San Felipe’s identified “danger zones” include coastal areas prone to flooding and erosion, as well as riverbanks and slopes vulnerable to landslides. Specific sites such as Sitio Tektek and Sitio Laoag have been marked as moderately vulnerable to coastal hazards.
Recent concerns also involve illegally built resorts within danger zones and jellyfish alerts along the coast, prompting local authorities to advise residents and visitors to take extra precautions.
