Reaping the consequences of inadequate land use planning

The devastation wrought by Typhoon Tino across Central Visayas, particularly in Metro Cebu, has once again exposed the grave consequences of inadequate land use planning in our country.

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The tragedy should not be blamed solely on nature. If one would look at the situation closely, it is also the result of human failure-yes, the failure to plan, to regulate, and to protect. As floodwaters submerge entire barangays and families are displaced from lands that never should have been built upon, one question demands to be asked: How many more lives must be lost before the government takes a decisive action?

For more than three decades, the proposed National Land Use Act has languished in Congress. It has been refiled, debated upon, and shelved repeatedly, even as every major typhoon underscores its necessity. Let's keep in mind that the measure is a matter of national survival, not a bureaucratic exercise as some would like to believe. It provides a long-overdue framework for the rational allocation, sustainable utilization, management, and development of the country's finite land and natural resources.

Now, it is time for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to certify this bill as urgent and for both houses of Congress to act with urgency on this moment's demands.