The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) on Sunday reported a significant increase in the number of approved and updated comprehensive land use plans (CLUPs) across the country, recording 334 approved plans from mid-2022 to December 2025.
DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling said the surge reflects the agency’s intensified efforts to institutionalize risk-informed and data-driven land use planning nationwide through its PLANADO (Plan & Do) Program.
Senior Undersecretary Henry Yap, who supervises the implementation of the PLANADO Program, said the increase in approved CLUPs signals stronger local compliance and improved planning governance across the country.
“This is not just about numbers. Each approved CLUP is a concrete step toward ensuring safer and more resilient communities as directed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. Proper planning protects not only the lives of our fellow Filipinos but their livelihoods as well,” Yap said.
The 334 figure is significantly higher than the 238 approvals recorded during the same midterm period of the previous administration.
At the provincial level, 25 provincial development and physical framework plans (PDPFPs) had been approved as of December 2025, five times more than the five approved during the midterm of the previous administration—showing improved provincial planning.
Anchored on the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, the PLANADO Program streamlines workflows, standardizes review mechanisms, and strengthens technical assistance to local government units through digital tools and structured mentoring.
Through Department Order No. 2026-011, DHSUD institutionalized the CLUP Acceleration and Modernization Initiative, targeting 100 percent risk-informed and data-driven CLUPs nationwide by 2028.
Since the release in 2014 of the CLUP guidelines by the then Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board, only 967 of 1,515, or 64 percent, of CLUPs nationwide are risk-informed as of January 2026.
DHSUD said land use planning is not merely a technical requirement but a life-saving governance tool.
Updated CLUPs help LGUs identify danger zones, safeguard agricultural land, designate safe sites for housing and infrastructure, and ensure that essential services, such as schools, hospitals, and evacuation centers, are located in secure areas.
Under the program, DHSUD’s Environmental, Land Use and Urban Planning and Development Bureau provides technical guidance in integrating hazard, climate, and socio-economic data into local plans.
Yap underscored that while digital transformation plays a key role in accelerating approvals, sustained capacity-building remains critical.
“Our digital tools are there to help fast-track the process, but it’s not enough. We need to capacitate our LGUs and, of course, ensure the community’s active participation. Plans are not just documents—we don’t stop at just that—equally important is their execution,” he said.
