Patama kay Villar? Kiko seeks ban on Farm Land Conversion to Subdivisions, Malls, Factories

Senator Kiko Pangilinan is seeking a ban on the conversion of agricultural land into subdivisions, shopping malls, and factories after nearly 100,000 hectares of farms – as big as Metro Manila and Cebu combined – have been converted since 1988.

“Kritikal ito para matiyak ang food security ng ating bansa. Madalas, prime agricultural lands pa ang pinupuntiryang i-convert,” said Pangilinan in the explanatory note of his Senate Bill 256, or the Agricultural Land Conversion Ban Act.

Although he did not say it, Pangilinan’s bill would have a big impact on Senator Cynthia Villar’s real estate empire, Vista Land, which has been criticized for its massive conversion of farm lands in to housing units.


Kaisahan has accused Villar of conflict of interest for heading the Senate committees on agriculture, agrarian reform and environment that have a direct bearing on policies affecting real estate developers, including sitting on a national land use bill which would have curtailed the rampant conversion of farm lands.

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“It is undeniable that Senator Cynthia and her husband, former Senator Manny Villar, are the owners of the Vista Land & Lifescapes, one of the biggest land developers in the country. Vista Land, including its arms Camella Homes and Lumina Homes, has turned vast farm lands across the country into sprawling subdivisions and huge malls. The Villar family is also hounded by allegations of graft, land grabbing, and illegal land conversions,” Kaisahan said in a 2017 post.


Pangilinan’s bill amends Section 20 of the Local Government Code, requiring additional approval from:

1. Department of Agriculture – certification that such lands are not included among those classified for conversion or reclassification under an existing law (AO 20, series of 1992), and the land has become unviable for farming.
2. Department of Agrarian Reform certifying that such lands are not distributed or programmed for distribution to agrarian reform beneficiaries;
3. Department of Environment and Natural Resources certifying that the proposed reclassification is ecologically sound.

Studies show that agriculture takes a back seat among other land development projects as it has the smallest return on investment.

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This article first appeared on Politiko.ph.