THE chairman of the House of Representatives Special Committee on Land Use on Thursday called on the Senate to pass the proposed National Land Use Act (NLUA), a measure seeking strict criminal liability to halt the illegal conversion of prime agricultural land into commercial real estate.
House Special Committee on Land Use Chairman and Surigao del Norte Rep. Francisco Matugas expressed optimism as the Senate conducts deliberations on several counterpart measures. The bill is a priority measure of the Marcos administration.
‘We appreciate the Senate for giving serious attention to this long-standing measure. Our senators bring their own experience and perspectives, and we welcome their inputs in producing a stronger and more workable law,’ Matugas said.
House Bill 8466, which passed its third and final reading in the House on May 5, 2026, and was transmitted to the Senate the following day, seeks to establish a unified national framework to resolve conflicting land demands across agriculture, housing, infrastructure, and environmental preservation.
A central pillar of the House measure is the mandatory integration of climate and disaster risk assessments into all land planning decisions. Under the proposed law, local and national authorities will be required to use hazard maps, geospatial data, and environmental evaluations before approving developments in critical areas such as floodplains, watersheds, and coastal zones.
Under the proposal, developers and local officials involved in unauthorized farmland reclassification face prison terms of up to 12 years. The proposed legislation aims to establish a comprehensive framework for land governance, protecting agricultural areas to secure a national food supply and prevent unregulated urban sprawl.
HB 8466 seeks to institute a national land use policy and implementing mechanisms, including the creation of a National Land Use Commission.
‘The House has done its part, and we look forward to working constructively with our colleagues in the Senate. If there are provisions that can be strengthened, we are ready to listen and work with them,’ Matugas said.
Several senators have filed their own versions of the National Land Use Act, reflecting continuing legislative interest in establishing a comprehensive national framework for land use.
‘After decades of discussion, Congress has another opportunity to finally provide the country with a national land use law,’ Matugas said, emphasizing the need for a balanced policy covering food security, infrastructure, and natural resource protection.
If enacted, the bill will establish a National Land Use Commission to oversee spatial policy implementation-a mechanism advocates say is long overdue to prevent unregulated conversion of agricultural land and human settlement in high-risk hazard zones.