Two Southern Leyte towns have no land use plan?

SLT 1254

March 2-8, 2024

The Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development (DHSUD) recently reported that 20 local government units (LGUs) in Eastern Visayas have yet to draft their Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP). Two of these municipalities are in Southern Leyte, namely, San Francisco and San Ricardo.
A CLUP refers to the document formulated by the local government in consultation with its stakeholders providing guidelines on the allocation, utilization, development, and management of all lands within a given territory or jurisdiction, including municipal waters.
The plan includes spatial maps and comprehensive data that will serve as a basis for LGUs when preparing sectoral and development plans.
In Southern Leyte, municipalities are actively implementing Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUPs) to guide development initiatives, a Department of Interior and Local Government senior officer said. These plans play a crucial role in dividing an area for commercial and agricultural purposes; they have corresponding plans that serve as the basis for identifying priority programs, projects, and activities (PPAs) that contribute to local development goals, including Special Land Use Permits (SLUPs).
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) officer also said that all municipalities in Southern Leyte have already established CLUPs while some LGUs are currently in the process of formulating new plans to replace expiring ones.
While not all plans require immediate approval, existing CLUPs serve as valuable references for ongoing development efforts. CLUPs usually cover long-term plans.
The projects implemented by the LGUs are there, and they are also integrated into the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP), which focuses more on the LGU’s development in terms of economic growth and human resources development.
The DSHUD provides technical assistance to local governments such as training, mentoring and coaching activities to capacitate officials on data gathering, writing and analysis for CLUP formulation.
The department said that among the common reasons why many LGUs have no CLUPs are budget constraints, absence of a geographic information system specialist in their area, multi-tasking or overload of tasks in the municipal planning and development office, and insufficient qualified staff.
The Local Government Code of 1991 mandates the preparation of Comprehensive Land Use Plan in local government units.
(Andrea Vista)