THE BACK-to-back disasters that struck Negros Occidental — including its capital, Bacolod City — this year have compelled local government units (LGUs) across the province to fast-track the updating of their Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUPs).
Why the rush? What exactly is a CLUP?How crucial is its role for every LGU, especially amid the growing trend of natural disasters?
In simple terms, a CLUP is a strategic, long-term planning document of an LGU. It guides a town or city in allocating land for balanced and sustainable development through proper zoning, development goals, and policies on housing, infrastructure, environmental protection, and conservation — all anchored on community input and data.
Recognizing the importance of CLUPs is the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Negros Island Region (DENR-NIR).
Recently, DENR-NIR effectively spun the roulette for an accelerated preparation of updated CLUPs among Negros LGUs ahead of 2026. This push, led by DENR-NIR Director Charlie Fabre, calls on every town and city in the province to integrate climate adaptation measures — particularly flood control initiatives — aligned with the realities of climate change.
Fabre stressed that LGUs must ensure their CLUPs are updated not only to guide sustainable development but also to serve as a blueprint for climate change adaptation and disaster preparedness against floods, typhoons, earthquakes, and other natural hazards.
The planning and construction of flood control structures — their size, length, location, and budget — must now be anchored on the CLUP. That alone underscores how vital the document has become.
Hence, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) also requires all LGUs nationwide to have CLUPs that incorporate the following components:
* sustainable development
* climate change adaptation
* ecosystem analysis
* natural resource management
* environmental stability
* disaster risk reduction
* vulnerability assessments
OUTDATED
Bacolod City’s Mayor Greg Gasataya was among the first to acknowledge the situation, admitting that the city’s CLUP is outdated.
“But for sure, by next year, we will have an updated CLUP,” Gasataya said.
Bacolod — repeatedly battered by floods in July, September, October, and November — has little choice but to urgently equip itself with an updated land use plan.
Gasataya said the city needs to clearly identify no-build zones, waterways, and update geotagging in its puroks and barangays.
The flooding on November 25 was the worst in Bacolod’s history, with floodwaters reaching rooftops in Barangays Singcang-Airport, Tangub, and Banago.
“It was a first for Bacolod,” many observed — especially professionals who were stunned by the magnitude of the disaster.
More than 40,000 families from 33 out of the city’s 61 barangays were affected.
‘HEADACHE’
For Moises Padilla, one of the hardest-hit LGUs in Negros Occidental’s 5th District during Typhoon Tino on November 4, updating its CLUP has become a major “headache.”
Mayor Ella Celestino Garcia-Yulo said the high cost of hiring technical experts has delayed the municipality’s CLUP update.
“If we hire technical consultants — especially for geotagging and Climate Disaster Risk Assessment (CDRA) — it would cost at least P4 million,” Garcia-Yulo said.
“We cannot afford that amount, so we are utilizing our own municipal employees, with support from the Department of the Interior and Local Government,” she added.
Garcia-Yulo described the CLUP updating process as tedious and meticulous.
“But we have no choice. We need an updated CLUP aligned with the realities of our time,” she said.
More than 12,000 families in Moises Padilla were affected by Typhoon Tino and the severe flooding that claimed 14 lives. Twenty-five others remain missing.
FIRST TIME
Cauayan’s Mayor John Rey Tabujara said their town is rushing to complete its CLUP before the second quarter of 2026.
Cauayan has already spent P1.5 million to hire technical consultants who are drafting its local development investment plan, annual development plan, and Climate Disaster Risk Assessment.
“What will be central to our upcoming CLUP are anti-flood programs, particularly drainage plans and other disaster-response measures,” Tabujara said.
This will be the first time Cauayan — the largest municipality in Negros Occidental in terms of land area, spanning 520 square kilometers — will have a CLUP since its founding in 1882.
Cauayan also suffered massive flooding during Typhoon Odette on December 16, 2021.
“That’s why we are racing against time. We need a CLUP to guide us properly in climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction initiatives,” Tabujara said.
HIGH TIME
Meanwhile, the Group of Environmental Socialists (GOES) noted that unchecked development is increasingly harming the environment, heightening risks and triggering disasters whenever a typhoon strikes the province.
GOES co-founder Randy James Rojo said it is “high time” for the province’s 32 mayors to seriously examine their CLUPs, particularly their zoning provisions.
Rojo acknowledged that some — if not most — LGUs in Negros Occidental simply copied and pasted CLUPs from neighboring towns or cities to save on costs.
“That is dangerous,” he warned. “A copy-pasted CLUP does not truly guide an LGU’s development within its own jurisdiction.”
What works for one area, he stressed, may be harmful to another.
NATURE’S AUDIT
In sum, the series of natural disasters has spotlighted the urgency and relevance of CLUPs.
A CLUP is more than just a piece of paper. It has become the new bible for LGUs eager to pursue development — without inviting disaster.
Without a sound CLUP, confusion — or “karambola” — among LGUs during calamities will only worsen.
There is no substitute for being one step ahead, and the CLUP is key. Nature’s audit is unforgiving. But a well-crafted CLUP can serve as a strong deterrent against future devastation.
No matter how tedious the process, what matters is that the CLUP becomes the LGU’s compass — protecting people, the environment, and future generations.
As world-renowned author H. Jackson Brown Jr. once said, “The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.”
I agree. Kudos to the mayors of Negros Occidental for pushing to complete their CLUPs.
Yes, it is hard to start — but truly meritorious when done./PN
