Local government units (LGUs) in the Philippines are required to prepare and implement more than 30 development plans that by tradition are fragmented and done in parallel mode leading to inefficiencies in implementation due to overlaps and conflicts. Fragmentation of plans of various national government agencies is also prevalent. To address this, the R2R/WEM framework was adopted in the revised guidelines for the preparation of comprehensive land use plans (CLUP) being implemented by the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board now under the Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development (HLURB 2013). The R2R/WEM framework to local land use and development planning is expected to provide a common physical framework for developing integrated and coordinated local climate action plan (LCCAP), local disaster risk management plan (LDRRMP) and other prescribed sectoral development plans. However, there is still a need to capacitate local planners on how to robustly apply the R2R/WEM approach in land use and development planning. This project seeks to enhance the knowledge and skills of the province of La Union needed in the development of its Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan (PDPFP) using the R2R approach that serve as a unified framework for developing the CLUPs, LCCAPs, LDRRMPs and other various plans required of towns and cities to implement to help in the attainment of sustainability and resilience of ecosystem services, communities and livelihoods.
Project leader
Honorable Eduardo Mario C. Ortega, Governor, Provincial Government of La Union, message delivered by Executive Assistant Dr Joaquin Austria at the PDPFP Planning Workshop
“For this planning cycle, we have adopted the Ridge to Reef or Watershed Ecosystem Management Approach, recognising the natural interconnectedness of uplands, lowlands and coastal areas. Our farms influence our rivers. Our rivers shape our seas. Our seas sustain our coastal communities. Because everything is connected, our development must be holistic, not fragmented […] The expertise and guidance of the UP Los Baños team, headed by Dr Rex Cruz, have been instrumental in assisting the Office of the Provincial Planning and Development Coordinator and the whole PDPFP Planning Team in developing this plan.”
Dr. Rex Victor O. Cruz, Project Leader, University of the Philippines Los Baños
“The Ridge-to-Reef or Watershed Ecosystem Management Framework is a unifying framework. Municipal and provincial local government units know that there are numerous plans required of LGUs, and these plans are hard to understand without an overall framework. Here is a framework that can actually unify everything: the watershed framework. Whatever your sectoral plan is, this is what should be used. Everything else is now being measured against what happens to the watersheds.”
Project publications
Report: Land Use Modelling and PDPFP Redrafting Workshop (Year 2)
Report: Meeting with La Union Provincial Administrator and OPPDC (Year 2)
Report: Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan (PDPFP) Writeshop (Year 2)
Report: Data Extraction and Mapping for the Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan (PDPFP) (Year 2)
Report: Finalization of the Vision, Mission, and Core Values and the Discussion and Formulation of the Development Thrusts and Identification of the Programs, Projects, and Activities (Year 2)
Report: Provincial Land Use Forum
Report: Land Capability and Zoning Workshop
Report: Vision Validation and Core Values Alignment Workshop
Report: Visioning Workshop
Report: Data Collection and Consultation
The 4th International Conference on Integrated Natural Resources and Environment Management Report
Report: Inception Meeting