The Regional Land Use Committee (RLUC) IX conducted the Orientation on the Formulation  of Zampen’s Regional Spatial Development Framework (RSDF) on July 31 at the Marcian Garden Hotel, Zamboanga City. The event was the result of its meeting held last July 16. This is the first of the series of activities to be undertaken in relation to the preparation of the Region’s RSDF.

The activity kicked off with a lecture on National Spatial Strategy (NSS) by Dr. Arturo G. Corpuz, Head for Urban and Regional Planning of Ayala Land, Inc. Followed by lectures on the Mindanao Spatial Strategy /Development Framework (MSS/DF) by Ms. Susan C. Valerio, Chief Economic Development Specialist of the NEDA Regional Office (NRO) IX;  Disaster Risk and Exposure Assessment for Mitigation (DREAM) Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) 3D Nationwide Mapping of Flood and Resource Assessment by Dr. Mario S. Rodriguez, Coordinator of Ateneo de Zamboanga University RS-GIS; and Mindanao Corridor Development Strategy by Dir. Reyzaldy B. Tan and Dir. Rafael G. Evangelista, Jr. of the Mindanao Development Authority.

The NSS is the core strategy of the National Physical Framework Plan (NPFP) with key strategies on concentration, connectivity and vulnerability reduction. It also includes  the goal of inclusive growth in terms of spatial and physical factors such as  size, structure and distribution of the population.

The MSS/DF was  formulated consistent with the NSS. It aims to provide the prescriptive policies and spatial recommendations for Mindanao to guide policy makers and investors in bringing about efficient settlement, production and service delivery systems consistent with the sustainable use of land and other natural resources and disaster risk management.

Meanwhile, Mindanao Corridor Development Strategy aims to increase the competitiveness of the Mindanao industries by providing them with common service facilities. It also aims to achieve physical integration among key economic clusters in Mindanao in its bid to become self-reliant and  dependable. Zamboanga Peninsula belongs to the Western Mindanao Development Corridor which is also the Mariculture and Trade Cluster.

DREAM LiDAR,  on the other hand,   produces 3-D flood and hazard maps for the country’s river systems. It also produces detailed resource maps for various applications such as the  production of high value crops, irrigation assessment, aquaculture production and forest protection.

A one-day Workshop on the Enhancement of the Planning Environment and Major Challenges is scheduled in September 2015 as a next step  for the  RSDF preparation. Almost all RLUC members attended the event.