Agrarian Reform Secretary John R. Castriciones has issued an order that mandates public consultations on the approval of applications for the conversion of agricultural lands for other purposes.
DAR Administrative Order 5, Series of 2018, mandates concerned regional directors to call for a public consultation before acting on an application for land conversion.
The conversion of agricultural lands may affect the public and the future generations of the Filipino people, Castriciones said in a news statement.
The holding of public consultations are necessary to ensure that any interested person may be given the opportunity to present comments or sentiments about the certain applications for land conversion, he said.