What Is The Condition of State of Philippine Urban and Regional Planning
What Is The Condition of State of Philippine Urban and Regional Planning
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Fast-paced population growth and rampant urbanization represent some of the major
population concerns in the Philippines, a country of 80 million people where the average number
of children. The Philippines is also among the world's fastest urbanizing countries, and
overcrowded cities.
An archipelago of more than 7,100 islands, the Philippines boasts one of the longest
coastlines in the world a boon to tourism and the economy as a whole. Yet this unique geography
has also led to a politically fragmented nation where powerful local governments often chart
their own course, particularly when it comes to growth and urban development. Native
communities were either near the bodies of water or dispersed around the land they cultivated for
farming. The concentration of economic development in relatively few urban areas and rapid
population growth throughout the country are other factors contributing to urban sprawl.
Compared with other countries in the region, the Philippines are experiencing rapid population
growth.
The Philippines is emerging as a "resident" of the "Global Village." The country, as all
other developing nations, is affected by technological advancements in communications and
transportation. The state is also affected by social phenomena such as world trade, capitalism,
and international laws. The Philippines, as an arm of this "supraterritory," has been an extension
of the American Hollywood and a patron of the World Bank. Filipinos eat in McDonald's and
pay with their hard-earned Dollar or Euro. Needless to say, the implications of globalization to
the country are virtually infinite.
The Filipinos use the modern "Shared Technology." The fact is that these technologies
are not shared but bought. Advancements in telecommunications and information like the
Internet are in fact very useful, but they come with a price tag. One could predict that the country
would be crippled without such technologies. Ten years ago, the use of computers and cellular
phones were reserved to corporations. Now, almost every Filipino urbanite uses these electronic
devices. In addition, developments in aerial transportation have made the countries virtually
borderless.
The observations stated above affect planning in general and the peoples perception and
use of space in particular. Globalization does not only affect a developing country economically
but spatially as well. National and local planners and leaders must appreciate this fact.
Philippine Constitution of 1987 is also a source of planning ideals regarding urban land
reform and housing. In Section 9, it declares that "the State shall, by law, and for the common
good, undertake, in cooperation with the private sector, a continuing program of urban land
reform and housing which will make available at affordable cost, decent housing and basic
services to under-privileged and homeless citizens in urban centers and resettlement areas. It
shall also promote adequate employment opportunities to such citizens. In the implementation of
such program the State shall respect the rights of small property owners." In Section 10 it
continues that "urban or rural poor dwellers shall not be evicted nor their dwelling demolished,
except in accordance with law and in a just and humane manner. No resettlement of urban or
rural dwellers shall be undertaken without adequate consultation with them and the communities
where they are to be relocated.
A strategy for building up capability for regional planning and development is the
establishment of an authority that will administer the development of a special region. This idea
is exemplified by Republic Act 7924, which is "an act creating the Metropolitan Manila
Development Authority, defining its powers and functions, providing funds therefore and for
other purposes." The powers of the MMDA include development planning, transport and traffic
management, solid waste disposal and management, flood control and sewage management,
urban renewal and zoning, health and sanitation, and upholding of public safety.