Text by Ma Isabela AC Agawin | Photos by Chelsea Dana Rapanot and Francis Gascon
Xavier Science Foundation (XSF), Institute of Land Governance (ILG) and Xavier University - College of Agriculture (XUCA) in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) started the GIS-based zoning course with a forum on sustainable land use at the Southeast Asia Rural Social Leadership Institute (SEARSOLIN) on Monday, April 13.
The Geographic Information System (GIS)-based zoning course is a two-week intensive program geared towards the enhancement of knowledge, awareness and basic skills of development professional on participatory land use zoning to propel rural local government units (LGUs) and communities to respond to better land use planning, management needs and demands.
Land management in Region 10
Field practitioners and members of civil society organizations and LGUs attended in the opening program for the course to discuss about the National Land Use Act (NLUA) and its implications on land management in Northern Mindanao.
“They want to pass a law that would improve our governance in land. This is a response to the problem that our land and other resources are not managed well,” said Roel R Ravanera, executive director of XSF.
“Therefore, Congress is coming up with a law. There are bills right now to ensure that our land resource is governed well. It is a long process, complicated sources, but at least we are coming up with something to solve the major issues.”
To give action for NLUA, invited speakers discussed on different aspects on land management.
Empower community leaders
Engr Jose P Gatus, former director of Bureau of Lands of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) had a talk on Grassroots Planning: Barangay Land Governance pointing out that land is the essence of life, where grassroots communities have a vital part to play in the success of a development project.
“It is important for development planners to consult the grassroots communities because they know what they need, what they have and don’t have, where to place this and that. … For a lot of times, we just ignored the communities and focus more on centralized system of implementing projects,” Engr Gatus said.
“We need to empower the community leaders and let them play a key role in the development.”
Engr Raoul Geollegue, senior consultant of Relief International gave a graphic and brief explanation on Ecosystem Perspective in Land Use Plan.
He mentioned that if land is used properly, it could provide services and basic needs and at the same time protect the indigenous people living in the highlands.
Atty Mary Claire Demaisip, legal officer of KAISAHAN and consultant of Senator Loren Legarda, presented on the proposed bills in Congress. She explained that the NLUA seeks to institutionalize land and physical planning to determine and evaluate appropriate land use.
Moreover, a management body will be established to handle land related issues in the country.
Integrating land use in curriculum
As a response to inform students on the existing problems on land management, XUCA also plans to integrate this course to the curriculum.
“We are planning to integrate aspects of this course in the curriculum, let’s say in [Bachelor of Science in] Agriculture, Agri-Engineering and Agribusiness, and even Development Communication so [students] will have broader understanding of land management.” said XUCA dean Dr Ma Rosario Mosqueda.
Ravanera agrees that land use management must be incorporated in classroom discussions.
“Land is becoming a major resource that’s been a source of conflict for many—source of deprivation that is why there is poverty in the rural areas. It would be good that Xavier University as an academic institution can help in promoting land governance in educating people, in coming up with policy papers in reaching out to communities that are mostly affected,” he said.
The two-week GIS-based zoning course will run from April 13 to 24, frontlined by ILG, a knowledge center based at XU that aims to build capacities of emerging leaders on resource governance towards sustainable rural development.
Among ILG’s goals are to produce 100 graduates of emerging leaders in Asia by 2018, formulate resource books and manuals on tools and strategies on resource governance and assist in mitigating conflicts, and improving access of rural poor to productive resources.