AMENDING LETTER OF INSTRUCTION (LOI) 1350 OTHERWISE KNOWN AS “PROVIDING THE INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR NATIONAL PHYSICAL PLANNING”

WHEREAS, there is a need to
amend LOI 1350 to strengthen the NLUC by elevating it into a National
Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board
Committee;

WHEREAS, the NLUC, as
a NEDA Board Committee, can advise the President and the NEDA Board on
all matters concerning land use and physical planning; and decide and
resolve land use policy conflicts between or among national government
agencies;

WHEREAS, there is a
need to provide for rational utilization and management of the
country’s land and other physical resources to ensure their optimum use
consistent with the principles of sustainable
development;

WHEREAS, the
existing national laws on land uses, such as agrarian reform, protected
areas, ancestral domain, fisheries, forestry, agricultural
modernization, mining and housing, are sector specific and do not
address cross-cutting land use issues;

WHEREAS, population growth and
numerous development priorities, such as food security, settlements
development, industry and development, environmental protection and
infrastructure continue to compete for limited land resources;
and

WHEREAS, pursuant to
Executive Order (EO) No. 230, the NEDA is primarily responsible for the
coordination of development planning and formulation of continuing,
coordinated and fully integrated social and economic policies, plans
and programs both at the national and regional levels toward the
achievement of sustainable economic growth coupled with an equitable
distribution of income and wealth.

NOW,
THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the
Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by
law, do hereby order:

SECTION 1.
Strengthening of NLUC. The NLUC is hereby strengthened and
reconstituted into a NEDA Board (NB) committee, thus making it the
highest policy-making body on land
use.

SECTION 2. Composition. The
NB-NLUC shall be composed of the
following:

SECTION
3. Functions of the NB-NLUC. The NB-NLUC
shall:

1. Advise the President on
   matters concerning land use and physical
   planning;

2. Formulate a national
   physical framework plan and other inter-sectoral policies and programs
   that guide the rational utilization and management of the country′s
   land and other physical resources, and the preparation of sub-national
   physical framework plans. The national physical framework plan shall
   integrate relevant sectoral as well as regional socio-economic and
   physical framework plans and
   policies;

3. Promote the
   integration of land use and physical planning policies, plans and
   programs, including disaster risk management, into national
   socio-economic plans and
   programs;

4. Decide and resolve
   land use policy conflicts among agencies of the national
   government;

5. Establish and
   maintain, in conjunction with the various appropriate government
   agencies, a database system which would identify and classify the
   present and possible uses of specific land areas, public and private,
   comprising the total land resources of the nation;
   and

6. Provide policy directions
   to the Regional Land Use Committees in the performance of their
   physical planning
   functions.

SECTION 4. Creation
of the NB-NLUC Technical Board. A Technical Board shall be
created to provide technical support to the
NB-NLUC.

SECTION 5. Composition of the
Technical Board. The Technical Board shall be composed of the
following:

SECTION
6. Institutionalization of the Regional Land Use Committee
(RLUC). At the regional level, the RLUC, under the Regional
Development Council, will be strengthened, with a replicated NB-NLUC
composition. The RLUC may call on any department, bureau, office,
agency or instrumentality of the government and/or private entities and
organization for cooperation, support and assistance in the performance
of its functions.

1. Formulate and
   periodically update the Regional Physical Framework Plan (RPFP), taking
   into consideration national, interregional, regional and local plans
   and policies;

2. Promote the
   integration of land use and physical planning policies, plans and
   programs, including disaster risk management into the regional
   socio-economic plans and
   programs;

3. Decide and resolve
   region-specific land use policy conflicts among government
   agencies;

4. Review and recommend
   appropriate actions to the NB-NLUC on land use policy conflicts between
   or among national government
   agencies;

5. Assess changes in
   land use and other physical resources in the regional and the
   implementation of RPFP
   policies;

6. Evaluate consistency
   of major programs and projects with the RPFP and their impact on land
   use and the
   environment;

7. Undertake the
   gathering, updating and maintenance of a regional database system;
   and

8. Perform other related
   functions as may be directed by the
   NB-NLUC.

SECTION 7. The NB-NLUC
may call on any department, bureau, office, agency, or instrumentality
of the government and/or private entities and organization for
cooperation, support and assistance in the performance of its
functions.

SECTION 8. Funds.
Funds needed to carry out the provisions of this EO for the first
calendar year shall be drawn from the current NLUC funds under the NEDA
budget. Thereafter, additional sums as may be necessary for the full
implementation of the strengthened NLUC’s functions shall be included
in the General Appropriations Act.

SECTION
9. Implementing Authority of the Secretary of Socio-Economic
Planning. The Secretary of Socio-Economic Planning shall
issue such implementing rules and regulations and other issuances as
may be necessary to ensure the efficient and effective implementation
of the provisions of this EO. The IRR shall also detail the functions
of the member-agencies.

SECTION 10.
Repeal. All previous issuances inconsistent with the
provisions of this EO are hereby repealed or modified
accordingly.

SECTION 11.
Effectivity. This Executive Order shall take effect
immediately after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a
newspaper of general circulation.

DONE in the City
of Manila, this 1st day of December, the year of Lord, Two Thousand and
Eight.

By the
President:

(Sgd.) EDUARDO R.
ERMITA
Executive
Secretary