FOLLOWING directives from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Wednesday called on local government units (LGUs) to strictly enforce land-use planning laws and clear human settlements from high-risk “no-build zones.”
The presidential directive emphasizes prioritizing public safety over political considerations, instructing national agencies and LGUs to keep communities away from areas vulnerable to severe flooding, landslides, and climate-related disasters.
In response, the DILG reminded local officials that sound urban planning must be backed by uncompromising enforcement in hazard-prone locations.
“No-build zones” generally encompass riverbanks, coastal easements, and other areas exposed to severe natural hazards.
Legally, LGUs derive their authority to restrict development in these sectors from established statutes, including the National Building Code of the Philippines and Republic Act No. 10121 (Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010).
Under the Building Code, structures intended for human habitation must maintain a safe buffer from bodies of water and environmental hazards, while R.A. 10121 mandates proactive risk-reduction measures, including the prevention of settlements in danger zones.
As frontline enforcement authorities, LGUs are tasked with ensuring that all local developments comply strictly with building, environmental, and disaster-risk reduction standards.
To complement strict spatial planning, the DILG continues to deploy community-level cleanup and mitigation initiatives.
Through the KALINISAN (Kalinisan at Inisyatiba para sa Malinis na Bayan) Program and the BarKaDa (Barangay at Kalinisan Day) Project, local communities work to clear waterways and public spaces to mitigate flood risks.
As of May 2026, these programs have mobilized over 588,000 participants and collected roughly 38.86 million kilograms of waste across 1.5 million sites nationwide.
Additionally, the DILG continues to guide local leadership through Operation L!STO, a standardized protocol outlining critical actions LGUs must undertake before, during, and after disasters.
The department reiterated that safeguarding lives requires continuous local planning, proactive community cleanup, and decisive enforcement before calamities strike.
