Salamat kay tukayo, Secretary Kiko Tiu-Laurel, sa DA Circular No. 1, Series of 2026 na nagpapatigil sa kanyang Department of Agriculture na mag-process ng mga application para gawing residential subdivisions o pabrika ang mga lupang sakahan.
Makakatulong itong DA circular habang dinedebate pa sa Senado ang panukalang batas ko na ganito rin ang hangarin (Senate Bill 220) — na may mas malawak na sakop at mas permanente.
Kahit anim na buwan lang hanggang Hunyo 2026, makakatulong itong utos ng DA sa pagpapaunlad ng pagsasaka at industriya ng pagkain sa bansa.
Kapag naging batas ang ating panukala, magkakaroon ng ngipin ang batas para pigilan ang mga LGU at iba pang pambansang ahensya para sa kanilang paiba-ibang mga tuntunin tungkol sa lupa.
Kailangan natin ng magsasaka. Kailangan ng magsasaka ng lupang sakahan para pakainin ang buong bansa.
Kung patuloy ang pagtanim ng semento, aani ang bansa ng mas malalang kagutuman.
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‘PLANT CEMENT, HARVEST HUNGER,’ SAYS PANGILINAN, PUSHING LAW TO STOP FARM LAND LOSS
Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Monday welcomed a Department of Agriculture (DA) order temporarily halting the processing of applications to convert agricultural lands into residential and industrial uses, saying the move strengthens the case for his proposed Agricultural Land Conversion Ban Act.
Pangilinan thanked Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. for issuing DA Circular No. 1, Series of 2026, which stops the DA from processing applications to turn farm lands into subdivisions or factories.
“Salamat kay tukayo, Secretary Kiko Tiu-Laurel, sa DA Circular No. 1, Series of 2026 na nagpapatigil sa kanyang Department of Agriculture na mag-process ng mga application para gawing residential subdivisions o pabrika ang mga lupang sakahan,” said the chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform.
The circular will be in effect for six months, or until June 2026.
Pangilinan said the temporary freeze provides immediate protection for agricultural areas while Congress debates his Senate Bill 220, which seeks a broader and permanent policy against land conversion.
“Makakatulong itong DA circular habang dinedebate pa sa Senado ang panukalang batas ko na ganito rin ang hangarin (Senate Bill 220) — na may mas malawak na sakop at mas permanente,” he said.
“Kahit anim na buwan lang hanggang Hunyo 2026, makakatulong itong utos ng DA sa pagpapaunlad ng pagsasaka at industriya ng pagkain sa bansa,” he added.
He warned that continued conversion of farm lands poses a serious threat to food security.
“Kung patuloy ang pagtanim ng semento, aani ang bansa ng mas malalang kagutuman,” Pangilinan said.
The senator’s bill seeks to stop the transformation of agricultural lands into other uses, noting that rapid urbanization and population growth are shrinking the country’s food-producing areas.
“Kailangan natin ng magsasaka. Kailangan ng magsasaka ang lupang sakahan para mapakain ang buong bansa,” Pangilinan said.
The bill proposes amending Section 20 of the Local Government Code to require additional approvals from the DA, Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), along with local government units, before agricultural lands can be reclassified or converted.
Under the measure, the DA must certify that the land is not among those classified for protection and has ceased to be economically feasible for agriculture. DAR must confirm the land is not programmed for distribution to agrarian reform beneficiaries, while DENR must ensure the reclassification is ecologically sound.