DENR, partners, pledge their commitment to improve land tenure security

On January 24, 2023, legislators, government agencies, the civil society, the academe, private sector, and other stakeholders gathered together in a National Land Governance Summit in Seda Vertis North, Quezon City. The event was organized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Land Management Bureau (DENR-LMB), the Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC), and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

This event allowed stakeholders to express their commitment to improve land tenure security. They also signified their support to enhance the Land Sector Development Framework (LSDF) 2019-2040, a long-term strategic roadmap with thematic areas on land administration, land management and governance, land information systems and management, and land valuation and market development. The document was prepared by the Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF) under the Responsible Land Governance in Mindanao (RLGM) project.

According to FEF’s Elmer Mercado, the updated version of the LSDF will also include the management of private lands, valuation on ecological resources, and alternative dispute resolution, taking into account the new technology that have been introduced over the years. It is also anchored on the long-term Ambisyon Natin 2040.

Adding to this, GIZ Senior Advisor Dr. Andreas Lange presented the global agenda on land, especially on the implications of climate change to tenure security. He states that the LSDF can be a key contributor to agriculture productivity, biodiversity preservation, and resilience of urban areas, given that these are exposed to the negative impacts of climate change.

In a keynote speech on behalf of DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, DENR Undersecretary for Legal and Administration Ernesto Adobo, Jr. emphasized the importance of responsible land governance through “timely, evidence-based, and equitable policies and technology-driven programs,” amidst rapid urbanization. He also highlights the DENR’s accelerated land titling program for farmers and residential land owners, supported by partnerships with local government units and other agencies.

Ms. Laura Oexle, the Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, renewed Germany’s commitment to the Philippines to “promote the development, rehabilitation, conservation, and preservation of nonpublic lands and related resources” and “identify strategies, data,  successes, failures, creative collaboration, and more.”

Legislators La Union 1st District Representative and Vice Chairperson, House Committee on Agrarian Reform Francisco Paolo Ortega, Senator Ana Theresia Navarro Hontiveros-Baraquel, and Senator Raffy T. Tulfo also expressed their commitments.

As for national government agencies, Department of Finance – Bureau of Local Government Finance Executive Director Pamela Quizon, and other heads of agencies represented by Land Registration Authority Executive Assistant to the Administrator Angelo Dellosa, Department of Agrarian Reform Dir. Elizabeth Zambrano-Villapando, National Mapping and Resource Information Authority Dir. Febrina Damaso, National Commission for Indigenous Peoples Dir. Caesar Ortega, Department of Interior and Local Government Dir. Debbie Torres, and League of Provinces of the Philippines’s Dir. Don Jomar Olegario signified their support to the LSDF.

Non-government groups were also present, composed of the academe, private sector, farmers and fisherfolks group, indigenous peoples, and other public sectors. This includes Xavier Science Foundation and Institute of Land Governance Director Roel Ravanera, Ireneo Cerilla of Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (PAKISAMA), Ruperto Aleroza of Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Samahan sa Kanayunan (PKSK), Giovanni Reyes of BUKLURAN, and Ruby Haddad of Homeless People’s Federation, Inc. They seek continuous cooperation with government agencies on the resolution of cross-cutting land issues and concerns.