The Ministry of Human Settlements and Development, the Housing Arm of the BARMM, recently engaged in benchmarking the PLANADO (Plan & Do) Program of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development to enhance land use and urban planning services within the BARMM.

The activity took place at the DHSUD Central Office, Mayaman St., Kalayaan Ave., Quezon City, Metro Manila on June 24, 2024

The MHSD team was led by Atty. Janice-zah M. Macapantar, Acting Director of Technical and Regulatory Services (TRS) and Chief of the Environment, Land Use and Urban Development Division (ELUUDD).

The initiative was spearheaded by the MHSD’s Monitoring and Evaluation Division (MED), led by Chief Yasser S. Mama, alongside Abdulhamid C. Alawi, Jr., Chief of Housing and Human Settlements Division (HHSD), and Rafzan M. Mama, MED Project Evaluation Officer II.

DHSUD’s PLANADO Program is designed to streamline and digitize land use and urban planning processes to create smart, green, resilient, and inclusive human settlements, as shared by Chief Mama.

“The goal is to have Zero Backlog on the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP), nationwide. The engagement with DHSUD will open a lot of opportunity not only for the Ministry, but also for the Local Government Units (LGUs) within the BARMM’s jurisdiction. The program will be tailored to the Bangsamoro context, focusing on capacity building, technology transfer, and the enhancement of systems, mechanisms, and tools for both the Ministry and LGUs in crafting, implementing, and monitoring of their CLUPs,” Chief Mama elaborated.

The MHSD team received a warm welcome from Undersecretary Henry Yap and Assistant Director Ibani Padao, Environmental Land Use Planning and Development Bureau (ELUPDB) Officer In-Charge during their visit., They also delved into discussions about the Bureau’s mandates, organizational structure, programs, plans, and the technical support extended to LGUs.