Duterte to issue EO in absence of National Land Use Act draft bill

President Rodrigo Duterte. KING RODRIGUEZ / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—President Rodrigo Duterte may come up with an executive order for the meantime as the administration has yet to complete the final draft of legislation that will be proposed to Congress as the National Land Use Act.

During Monday night’s Cabinet meeting, Duterte reiterated the importance of the passage of the National Land Use Act, Duterte’s spokesman Salvador Panelo said.

According to Panelo, National Economic and Development Authority Director-General and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia and Undersecretary Adoracion Navarro shared the salient points of the draft bill during the meeting in Malacañang.

“In the meantime, the President approved the suggestion that the administration first comes up with an executive order for the purpose,” the Palace official said in a statement Tuesday.

In his State of the Nation Address (Sona) last July, Duterte said the measure will allow the Philippines to “meet the demands of the investors coming in” and will also “serve as the basis for the local government units in crafting respective development plans and help disperse economic activities for the countryside.”

A National Land Use Act has been languishing in Congress for two decades now.

During the meeting, Panelo said Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez reported the result of the Doing Business 2020 by the World Bank where the Philippines climbed 29 notches, ranking 95th from the previous 124th.

Lopez proposed to adopt the ease of doing business reforms and asked concerned agencies to streamline and automate their processes to further improve the country’s rankings in the coming years

“This was approved by the Chief Executive,” Panelo said.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, meanwhile, updated the Cabinet on their department’s review of the Maynilad and Manila Water Concession Agreements, while Solicitor General Jose Calida reported on the updates on the Arbitral Ruling regarding the government’s indemnification to Manila Water.

The possible effects and preparations for Typhoon Tisoy (Kammuri) were also discussed during the meeting.

Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad, administrator of the Office of Civil Defense and executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, also reported that a cancellation protocol was agreed for the events in the Southeast Asian Games.

Outdoor activities shall be suspended when Signal no. 1 is raised while all games shall be suspended when Signal no. 2 is hoisted.

Edited by JPV