Selected employees from the Ministry of Human Settlements and Development of the BARMM, in collaboration with partner agencies, served as resource persons at the week-long Training on the Review and Approval Process of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) for the Province of Lanao Del Sur, hosted by the Ministry of Interior and Local Government and held at the Paraiso Verde Hotel and Resort, Koronadal City, South Cotabato, on June 21-25, 2021.

The training aimed to provide Provincial Land Use Committee (PLUC) members information on the CLUP review and approval process for the component city and municipality, as well as the review parameters utilized per agency.

The activity was conducted to provide an overview of the formulation of CLUP and Zoning Ordinance (ZO), as well as provide understanding on the content of CLUP, the integration of Disaster Risk Reduction/Climate Change Adaptation principles, its timeframe, frequency of updating, and other considerations for the plan.

The training also provided the legal bases for CLUP formulation, and information on the roles of Local Chief Executives (LCEs) in the CLUP formulation.

Director General Esmael W. Ebrahim welcomed the participants and thanked the MILG for the effort as the lead agency. He shared the importance of the CLUP, emphasizing that land disputes are the common causes of all disputes, especially among the Bangsamoro.

“If we can have a thorough and clear CLUP, then there is a chance of reducing the conflicts caused by quarrels on land”, DG Ebrahim said.

Housing and Homesite Regulations Officer Engr. Muslima K. Abusama defined the CLUP as “the mother of all development plans.”

“It is a set of analytical and decision documents and maps that identifies what uses, development projects and /or structures may be allowed where (location and area), when, under what conditions, how and up to what extent these may be allowed”, Engr.  Abusama explained.

“It must be aligned with the vision, development goals, and objectives of the municipality”, Engr. Abusama added.

The formulation of CLUP and ZO arranges the land areas into zones like the residential zone, commercial zone, industrial zone, and other areas. It also includes the Identification/delineation of environmental protected areas, food production areas, and infrastructure, accompanied by a zoning ordinance, as the implementing tool of the CLUP. Representatives from the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA), Civil Society Organizations, Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR), Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy (MENRE), Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs (MIPA), Ministry of Public Works (MPW), Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Ministry of Trade, Investment and Tourism (MTIT), Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC), Provincial Planning Development Coordinator (PPDC), and the Sanguniang Panlalawigan Secretary also attended the event.