Manila: The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has urged local government units (LGUs) to strictly enforce existing laws and regulations concerning no-build zones and land-use planning. This call comes in the wake of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive aimed at bolstering measures to protect communities from severe flooding and other climate-related disasters.
According to Philippines News Agency, the directive emphasizes the responsibility of LGUs to prioritize disaster risk reduction, public safety, and environmental sustainability in their land-use and development planning. As communities face increasingly severe climate-related hazards, the DILG highlighted the need for sound planning alongside consistent enforcement of existing laws and regulations, particularly in areas vulnerable to flooding and other hazards.
No-build zones typically include easement areas and other locations deemed unsafe for human habitation due to their exposure to hazards that could endanger lives and property. Existing laws, such as the National Building Code of the Philippines and Republic Act (RA) 10121, provide the legal framework for regulating development in hazard-prone areas. The National Building Code mandates that sites and buildings intended for human habitation must maintain a safe distance from hazardous areas, including streams and bodies of water. RA 10121 promotes disaster prevention and risk reduction measures, including the prevention of human settlement in high-risk disaster areas.
The DILG underscored that LGUs are at the forefront of enforcement and must ensure that development within their jurisdictions complies with applicable land-use, building, environmental, and disaster risk reduction policies. Complementing these efforts, the department continues to mobilize LGUs and communities through the KALINISAN (Kalinisan at Inisyatiba para sa Malinis na Bayan) Program and BarKaDa (Barangay at Kalinisan Day) Project.
As of May 2026, the KALINISAN and BarKaDa initiatives have successfully mobilized over 588,000 participants, who have collectively collected 38.86 million kilograms of waste from 1.5 million public sites nationwide. Additionally, the DILG is strengthening the disaster preparedness and response capabilities of LGUs through Operation L!STO, which provides local governments and communities with essential actions to undertake before, during, and after typhoons, earthquakes, and other calamities.
