businessmirror.com.ph
By Cai Ordinario -October 2, 2016
THE implementation of a two-year ban on
land conversion would keep millions of poor families homeless and delay the
government’s infrastructure projects, according to the National Economic and
Development Authority (Neda).
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary and
Neda Director General Ernesto M. Pernia said the Neda has circulated a two-page
position paper opposing its implementation to members of the President’s
economic team.
Pernia said there is already a draft
executive order to create the two-year
ban. However, this policy is being held in abeyance awaiting the opinion of the
economic team.
“The economic team is against it. It’s
not a good policy because it’s a blanket policy and there are many lands not
suited for agriculture, so why ban these lands from being converted?” he said.
Pernia said Finance Secretary Carlos G.
Dominguez III has already read the position paper and has expressed full
support for the Neda’s position. He added that Budget Secretary Benjamin E.
Diokno, who has yet to read the full position paper, also agreed with the Neda.
The Neda chief said he aims to have the
position paper signed by the economic team this week before they all leave for
Washington, D.C., to attend the International Monetary Fund-World Bank Fall
Meeting.
“The Neda has circulated it to the
departments of Finance, Trade and Industry [DTI], and Budget and Management.
The purpose is to get them to sign, as well, so there will be more gravitas as
far as the position is concerned,” Pernia said.
“Agrarian Reform Secretary[Rafael]
Mariano is influential because he appeals to agrarian reform, poor farmers,
small farmers and he has a big following also,” he added.
If the ban is implemented, Pernia said
this will limit the ability of the government to carry out the relocation of
informal-settler families (ISFs) and delay right-of-way acquisition for
infrastructure projects.
Pernia said there is a need to address
the 5.5 million worth housing backlog. Data from the Housing and Urban
Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) stated this includes 1.4 million ISFs.
HUDCC data showed of this number, around
584,425, or 28 percent, of ISFs are in Metro Manila, while 221,284 are in
Region 4-A or Calabarzon. Some 117,670 ISFs are located in Region 3, or Central Luzon.
“Most of this backlog, housing backlog
is for the poor, so this two-year ban is going to be antipoor, because it is
going todelay our objective of providing housing to the poor,” Pernia said.
Earlier, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel
F. Piñol said he will not issue any permit for the conversion of agricultural lands
into residential and commercial areas.
Piñol made the announcement to assure
farmers that there is enough land for agricultural production, especially for
rice.
A survey conducted by the government in
2008 found that an average of 9,000 hectares of farmlands devoted to rice all
over the country are being converted to other uses or planted with other crops
every year.
Exemptions
The Philippine Economic Zone Authority
(Peza) said it is seeking to be exempted from the Department of Agrarian
Reform’s (DAR) moratorium on land conversion for areas, which are being eyed as
sites for additional economic zones.
Peza warned that the moratorium on land
conversion could discourage foreigners from investing in the Philippines.
“[Peza is] working with the DAR closely
through the DTI, to have some exceptions on that pronouncement as far as
economic zones are concerned,” Peza Officer in Charge Deputy Director Justo
Porifirio Yusingco said.
“If we don’t have new economic zones or
new areas, we will have a problem where to bring the investors we’ve been
inviting,” Yusingco added.
Earlier, the DAR announced that it is
working on an executive order to impose a two-year ban on land conversion covering
agricultural lands covered by various agrarian- reform programs.
Among land areas covered include those
distributed since 1972 under a decree issued during martial law and under the
1988 Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.
As of April this year, there were 345
economic operating ecozones registered by Peza, encompassing manufacturing,
information technology parks, agro-industrial, tourism and medical tourism
economic zones/parks.
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