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

WHEREAS, LOI 1350 institutionalized land use and physical planning
in the country and created the National Land Use Committee (NLUC) on 02
August 1983;

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 crosscutting 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:

Chairperson:	Secretary of Socio-Economic Planning
Members:	Secretaries of Environment and Natural Resources; Agriculture;
	Agrarian Reform;
	Trade and Industry; Public Works and Highways;
	Transportation and Communications; Tourism; Interior and Local
	Government; Justice; Science and Technology; and Energy.
	Chairpersons of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council/Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board; and the National Commission on Indigenous People.
	Two private sector representatives.
	The NB-NLUC shall invite the respective Presidents of the League of Provinces, Municipalities and Cities to its meetings.

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

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

b. 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;

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

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

e. 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

f. 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:

Chairperson:	NEDA Deputy Director-General for Regional Development
Members:	Representatives of the member-agencies of the NB-NLUC, who shall have the rank of not lower than Director level.

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.

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

b. 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;

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

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

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

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

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

h. 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 implement at ion 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.

Adopted: 01 Dec. 2008

(SGD.) GLORIA M. ARROYO
President of the Philippines  

BY THE PRESIDENT:

(SGD.) EDUARDO R. ERMITA
Executive Secretary