A History of Planning in the

Philippines

CHRISTOPHER F. GILOS, PAE, REB, REA, EnP

Pre-colonial Age
Pre-colonial Age
 Some scholars believe that the pre-colonial inhabitants of the
Philippines exhibited some degree of settlement planning.
 Old world explorers from the West noted the uniformity of the pre-Spanish
Filipinos' dwellings.
 They have further observed that the natives' communities were either near the
bodies of water or dispersed around the land they cultivated for farming.

 Pre-Hispanic Filipinos were predominantly migrants of Malayan and

Indonesian stock.
 The communities settled as separate kinship groups within their defined
territories that obtained the character of villages.
Pre-colonial Age
 According to history there existed, a kingdom of Moros
located along the banks of the Pasig 200 years prior to the
coming of the Spaniards.
 This group of people which was later headed by Sulayman
established the city of Manila and protected it with fortifications
against the foreign invaders.
 When the Spanish armada came, the Moros resisted but were
overwhelmed by the power of the former's forces.
Pre-colonial Age
 Other groups of people around the archipelago displayed their own
distinctive patterns of planning their settlements.
 Mountain dwellers in Cordillera believe that territory should be
institutionalized by the atu or ward.
 There were also native folks who resided along bodies of water.
 The Tagalogs were taga-ilog [river dwellers] while the Maranaws were
lake dwellers.
 These groups were perhaps the descendants of the earliest sea coast
communities known as the barangay [also balanghay/balangay].
The name barangay originated from balangay, the Austronesian word
for "sailboat”.
 When the first Spaniards arrived in the 16th century, they found the
Filipinos living in well-organized independent villages called barangays.
‘Balangay’ to be declared national boat
By Paolo Romero | February 03, 2016, http://digitaledition.philstar.com/articles/2016-02-
03/news/balangay-to-be-declared-national-boat/138827

• The House of Representatives has approved on third and final

reading a bill declaring the balangay as the country’s national boat.
• HB 6366 states that it is the policy of the state to promote and
inculcate nationalism, appreciation and pride in the cultural and
historical heritage of the nation, including national symbols of the
country, which embody its ideals and tradition.
• “The balangay is hereby declared as the National Boat of the
Philippines. It refers to the prehistoric edged, plank-type of boat
discovered and excavated in the city of Butuan”
• Authors of the measure include Reps. Frederick Abueg, Nicasio
Aliping, Erlpe Amante, Leopoldo Bataoil, Lawrence Fortun, Ibarra
Gutierrez, Marie Ann Pernes, Marlyn Primicias-Agabas and
Arthur Yap.
‘Balangay’ to be declared national boat

• The National Historical Commission of the Philippines

(NHCP), in coordination with the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts (NCCA), National Museum,
Department of Education and other concerned agencies, was
tasked to promulgate rules to implement the bill once
enacted into law.

• The balangay is said to be the first wooden watercraft

excavated in Southeast Asia. Researchers said it showed the
early Filipino craftsmanship and their seamanship skills
during pre-colonial times.
Spanish Regime
Spanish Regime
 Laws of the Indies - King Philip II promulgated this code that
served as guide to all colonized territories of Spain.
 was applied successfully to the Spanish colonies in the Americas.
 The law provided guidelines for site selection; layout and dimension
of squares, streets and other land uses; and the main phases of
planning and construction.
 Details were also written pertaining to the location of the principal
buildings, recreation spaces, cultivation and pasture lands, and sites
for garbage-producing uses.
 Also prescribed within the code is the relationship protocol
between the Spanish and the natives.
Spanish Regime
 The royal ordinances dictated that each town should be
located on vacant and high ground, properly oriented to
sun, wind, and water areas. The site should also be on or
near fertile land and accessible to sources of fuel, timber,
and water.
 Because the law is based on the Greco-Roman Renaissance
design principles, it favored the use of the gridiron
pattern in the establishment of roads and blocks.
 The plaza was the starting point of the construction,
around which were the important buildings like the
church, casa real, town hall, bandstand for zarzuelas and
other edifices for health and defense.
Spanish Regime
 Other lots surrounding the area were reserved for
merchant shops and prominent family [or
principalia] dwellings.
 The code also specified that there were to be as
many farm lots as town lots.
 The law likewise states that each house should have
stockyards and courtyards.
 This could have been the Philippines' earliest land use and
zoning law and building code
Spanish Regime
 The instruction of the Laws of the Indies further
aims at providing health, safety, order, and beauty.
 The design and execution of the plans should be
implemented by architects or other "executors" so
ordered by the colonial governor.
 The final product—i.e. the town—served as the
instrument of colonization and the staging ground
for exploiting mineral and land resources.
Spanish Regime
o In the late 16th century the Jesuits established the
reducciones policy, which was aimed to gather
dispersed communities "under the bells."
 The policy created the "plaza complex" with its town
residents [taga-bayan]. Within the town [or pueblo],
people lived around the plaza with the ilustrados located
closest to the center and the lower classes living at the
periphery but still "within the sound of the bells."
 The taga-bukid constituted a small minority who had to
be in the fields or rural areas attending the agricultural
activities.
Spanish Regime
o This Philippian principle of planning is perhaps best
exemplified by the city of Manila. After all, "all roads lead
to Manila and Madrid."
 The city of Manila became the colonial Capital during the time of
Legaspi.
 Although Spanish architects and engineers envisioned Manila as a
city of stone, she rather was developed into a city of fortification.
 The Manila Bay was palisaded to protect the city from Chinese
pirates [led by Limahong] and other foreign invaders as well as the
Muslim and Japanese inhabitants. This was the precedent of the
construction of Intramuros, which was a self-contained city
"within walls."
Spanish Regime
o Despite the shortcomings of this primate city,
Manila expanded partly due to the success of the
galleon trade.
 The city’s population was racially and culturally diverse.
The Tagalogs were the majority. A small but powerful
group was the Spanish.
 The Spanish friars who were considered the "masters of
the city" owned all but five or six of the city dwellings.
 Indian and Chinese residents who are merchants and
traders lived in the areas of Binondo and Sta. Cruz.
Spanish Regime
oThriving industries during the mid-19th
century were in the production of cotton,
silk, dairy and cigar.
 This was the same time that the Philippines
became a player in the world trade.
 Some industries like the cigar-manufacturing in
Binondo were so huge that it employed 9000
workers
Plan for Intramuros
Spanish Regime
o The population of Manila hit the 300,000 mark at
the turn of the 20th century.
 Almost five percent of the population were living in
Intramuros while others were living in the suburbs.
 Technological advancements in utilities were introduced
at the time which include waterworks and telephone
systems.
 Transportation systems like railroads and streetcar
railways were likewise introduced.
Spanish Regime
o Urban design by the Spaniards left a lasting physical mark in the
landscape of Philippine cities [as there was an emphasis on the use of
stones for building].
o But, efforts to address the economic and social issues for the natives
was lacking.
 This was further aggravated by the encomienda [300 in all] system imposed in
the time of Legazpi, which was nothing more than a revival of the medieval
serfdom.
o Although King Philip II had better intentions in his edict, Spanish
town planning was principally done "first for the purpose of defense
and second for grandeur…. Housing was not considered at all, as a
public responsibility… The badly-housed were not the concern of
the municipality”.
Spanish Regime
o Regional planning was nonexistent. What only has
been done was the establishment of hierarchy of
the political territories: the country is divided into
provinces [or alcaldias]; the province is divided
into pueblos; and the pueblo is further divided into
barangays.
o The Maura Law of 1893 extended autonomy to the
provinces. It established a municipal tribunal or
council for each town with at least a thousand
taxpayers.
American Era
American Era

oUnlike the Spaniards, the Americans gave

greater emphasis on other social values like
sanitation, housing, and other aesthetic
improvements.
 The ideas of urban development through
sanitation practices and mass housing were born
as a reaction to the ills of industrialization in
Europe.
American Era
o Planning under the influence of the Americans is
typified by the Daniel H. Burnham's plan of
Manila.
 In December 1904, Burnham was commissioned to prepare the
physical development plan for the cities of Manila and Baguio.
 Trained as an architect and guided by the principles of the City
Beautiful Movement, he envisioned the city manifesting
aesthetic elements such as wide boulevards, public edifices and
landscaped parks.
 In the United States, Burnham draw plans for cities like Chicago,
Washington, Cleveland, and San Francisco.
American Era
 In 1904, Daniel Burnham together with Pierce Anderson, surveyed
Manila, Baguio and other Cites. By this time Manila submitted in 1905
included the ff:
 Development of the waterfront of recreation of parks and parkways so as
to give the proper means of recreation to every quarter of the city;
 street system securing direct and easy communication from one district to
another;
 location of building sites for various activities;
 Development of waterways fro transportation;
 summer resorts

 The plan was accepted and the office of consulting architect was
created the following year by Phil. Commission Act #1495
The Burnham plan superimposed over an aerial photo of modern-day Manila.
http://www.mb.com.ph/urban-planning-dilemma/
http://www.mb.com.ph/urban-planning-dilemma/
American Era
 Burnham’s successor in the Philippines named
William E. Parsons described him as a man of
"sound business judgment and experience," a man
who can convince practical of business to "make
no little plans."
 Burnham’s objective was to make cities
"convenient for commerce and attractive and
healthful as a place of residence."
 His plan for Manila provided for the rapid increase
of the population and the explosion of the city’s
industries.
American Era
 Burnham prescribed the grid pattern for the city of
Manila. However, the gridiron was interspersed with
the circumferential and diagonal arteries, which was
reminiscent of his designs for San Francisco, Chicago,
and Washington.
 He proposed that the Bay areas would be extended
through reclamation and a new port would be
constructed.
 True to his City Beautiful principles, he further
proposed the development of nine parks, two new
playfields, and fountains throughout the city for public
leisure.
American Era
 In Burnham's plan, there were sites allotted for
national and municipal buildings near Intramuros,
hospitals, and colleges.
 Spaces were also set for a world-class hotel, city
and country clubs, a casino, boat clubs, public
baths, and the new residence for the Governor
General.
 Resorts were also to be developed near Manila but
the ultimate escape during the summer season
would be the city of Baguio.
American Era
 Burnham's plan also called for the development of Binondo
as the center of business and merchandising.
 Improvements were to be made in the area’s wharf,
warehouse, and other port facilities.
 In addition to extension of the port along the Pasig, it
would also be linked to railroads extending to north and
south provinces.
 The plan served as a proposal to the private sector. Burnham
hoped that through private action the expansion and
developments in ports and roads would be expedited.
American Era
 William E. Parsons – an architect tasked to implement
Burnham’s plan. He was appointed as Consulting Architect to the
Insular Government.
 City planning was beginning to get institutionalized. The
Consulting Architect post occupied by Parsons was considered
the nucleus of the Division of Architecture in the Insular Bureau
of Public Works. In 1920, the position of City Architect was
created, long after Parsons left the post in 1914.
 Before Parsons left, the Governor General made sure that
general plans for the cities of Cebu and Zamboanga and
master plans for cities like Iloilo were prepared.
 Among the successors of Parsons were Doane and Arellano [the
latter was a contemporary of Tomas Mapua].
American Era
 Different interest groups attended to matters of other city
planning issues, like sanitation and mass housing.
 These concerns were neglected by the architects and
engineers. In 1908, Insular Health workers introduced the
concept of "sanitary barrios," which were exemplary
in the sense that they reflected the new sanitation and
building standards.
 Other sectors like the labor group established their own
barrio obrero even without the benefit of the aid of the
city government.
American Era
 Infrastructure development; roads and bridges;
inspired by the parks development in the USA;
Emphasis on education; Daniel Burnham; Louis
Croft, Anderson; socio-economic planning, trade
relations with USA; water supply and drainage;
sanitation; Plan for Manila-Luneta; Baguio-Burnham
Park, Tagaytay; Quezon City as a Capital of the
Philippines; Radial and Circumferential road design.
 Antonio Kayanan – First Filipino Planner
American Era
 In 1936, the Interior Department created local and planning
commissions composed of the Provincial Governor, district
engineer, and other local officials.
 The work of the new body included the survey of local
conditions and the preparation of plans to be proposed to
the Director of Public Works.
 Although town planning was given a boost during this
period, the practice was yet to be established as a
discipline.
 The problem during this pre-war period was that there
was a limited pool of trained city planners both in the
local planning commissions and the Bureau of Public
Works.
Post-War Period
Post-War Period
 Like other countries the problem of housing, health and
sanitation became the preoccupation in the field of planning.
 The People’s Homesite Corporation (now NHA)
purchased 1,572 hectares for Php 2 million in Quezon
City. The different housing project including the UP site
was part of this area.
 The 1939 census gave 623,997 as the population of Manila.
 The National Parks Office was creation of President Quezon
with the help of Louis Croft. The American adviser on
National parks and land planning served Quezon, Osmena,
Roxas and Quirino.
Post-War Period
 Then came the outbreak of the Second World War. Four-fifth of
GMS (Greater Manila Area) was destroyed. Manila was
converted into one “giant slum”.
 To arrest the housing problem, Roxas instructed the National
Housing Commission in 1946 to built houses
 The National Urban Planning Commission (NUPC) was also
created during that same year. It had the purpose of preparing
general plans, zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations for was
devastated areas.
 Capital City Planning Commission (CCPC)
 A Real Property Board (RPB) was also created to attend to real
estate problems resulting from the plan implementation of NUPC in
Manila in 1947.
Post-War Period
 In 1950, Pres. Quirino created the National Planning
Commission (NPC) - absorbing the NUPC, CCPC, and
RPB.
 The new agency was intended for more integrated planning for
both urban and regional areas at a greater efficiency and
economy.
 The NPC prepared and helped administer plans and regulations
for the local government. After 1959, however, some powers of
the NPC like zoning, subdivision, and building regulation were
devolved to the city and municipal governments.
 NPC prepared a master plan for Manila, which was
submitted, to President Magsaysay in 1954.
Post-War Period
 The Plan has the following objectives:
 Make Manila a convenient and ideal place to live, play and own;
 Remedy the critical traffic congestion and at the same time
provide for anticipated traffic needs;
 Prevent overcrowding of population;
 Use land to the best advantage and bring order and reason the
present undesirable mixture of homes, stores and factories;
 Distribute equitable the much needed elementary schools and
playgrounds;
 Protect and promote healthy property values; and
 Utilize existing improvement as much as possible.
Philippine Planning Environment
Global Context
 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 – e. g. biodiversity, climate
change, etc.
 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.
Global Context
 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
Global Context
 The Philippine economics is also affected by international
covenants.
 International trade influences the political machinations of the
country. Take for example the trading of oil in the world market.
Every time the price of oil increases, the Philippines experiences
turmoil: the private transportation sector reacts and the whole
country gets disturbed.
 The observations affect planning in general and the people’s
perception and use of space in particular.
 Globalization does not only affect a developing country
economically but spatially as well. This fact should be observed by
National and local planners and leaders.
 e.g., increasing demand for real estate for BPOs, OFWs, etc.
National and Local Framework
 Because planning is considered a regular government function,
its existence is asserted in both the national and local
bureaucracies.
 In the years immediately after the war, the government formed
the NUPC. Thereafter, another body was created, the NPC
which combined the functions of the NUPC and the CCPC.
 Within ten years, some powers of NPC were devolved to the
local government. Successive reorganization led to the formation
of the following planning bodies:
 Ministry of Settlements, Task Force on Human Settlements,
Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, and
Department of Housing and Urban Development.
National and Local Framework
 Even before the provisions of the Local Autonomy Law were
passed, the local government enjoyed planning autonomy as
early as 1959.
 Powers like zoning, subdivision, and building regulation were
devolved to the cities and municipalities from the NPC.
 Legislations like the LGC [RA 7160] and the UDHA [RA
7279] further developed the capabilities of the LGUs.
Of Land and Laws
 There are other covenants affecting the planning process in
the Philippines in general.
 The HLURB has a manual that complements the LGC of 1991.
 EO 71 [1993] seeks to ensure the efficient devolution of powers to
the local government units and provide for an orderly and smooth
transition as well as definition of future relationships between the
national and local governments.
 EO 72 provides for the preparation and implementation of the
Comprehensive Land Use Plans [CLUP] for the LGUs
 These two executive orders aim at complementing the Local
Government Code of 1991 and other pertinent laws.
 In addition, the local government can also reclassify
agricultural lands to other uses by virtue of Memorandum
Circular 54 of 1993.
Of Land and Laws
 The 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.

 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."
Of Land and Laws
 The Urban Land Reform Law [PD 1517] was passed during the
administration of Marcos.
 With its impressive rhetoric, it states that "it is the policy of the
State to liberate human communities from blight, promote their
development and modernization, and bring about the optimum use
of the land as a national resource for public welfare."
 The Urban Development and Housing Act, otherwise known as
RA 7279, was passed in 1992 before the term of President
Corazon Aquino ended.
 However, the spirit of this law is too philanthropic as it basically
promises provision of housing for the homeless citizens.
Of Land and Laws
 One of the basic urban planning problems is housing.
 For the past decades, legislators formulated and accumulated laws
regarding the provision of one of the basic human needs that is
housing.
 For one, there is the PD 957 of 1976, which mandates the
protection of subdivision and condominium buyers.
 Two years later, another law PD 1344 was enacted empowering the
National Housing Authority[NHA] to regulate and police the real
estate trade and business.
 In 1982, BP 220 authorized the Ministry of Settlements to urge the
private sector to provide "economic and socialized housing" for the
middle and lower income earners.
Of Land and Laws
 Land use is one of the concerns of urban and regional
planners.
 Issues pertaining to land use include the land reclassification and
conversion to other use. RA 6557 (CARP) & Executive Order 124 of
1993 serves as a guide to the procedure of land evaluation for conversion
and reclassification.
 Aside from reacting to the issues of land of land use, the
Congress was also quick to answer the problems posed by
the real estate developers.
 The response was the Executive Order 184, which is a directive to
create socialized housing center one-stop processing centers to facilitate
the processing and issuance of permits, clearances, certifications, and
licenses appropriate and necessary for the implementation of socialized
housing projects. The same law also orders all government agencies
concerned to support the operations of the said centers.
Of Land and Laws
 The problem of squatting or the unlawful occupation of land duly
owned by another person or organization is another problem
faced by city planners.
 This problem has been in existence in the cities of the country since
after the War.
 In 1997, Republic Act 8368 repealed Republic Act 772, which is
entitled "Penalizing Squatting and Other Similar Acts." The new law,
which was passed during the Ramos administration, decriminalizes
squatting in all its forms.
Of Land and Laws
 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 creates
MMDA - development [physical] 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.
 The territory of the Authority is comprised of the cities of
Caloocan, Manila, Mandaluyong, Makati, Pasay, Pasig, Quezon, and
Muntilupa as well as the municipalities of Las Piñas, Malabon,
Marikina, Navotas, Parañaque, Pateros, San Juan, Taguig, and
Valenzuela.
MARCOS REGIME
 In terms of economic development, the Philippines was no. 2 in
Southeast Asia, Massive infrastructure projects nationwide;
Introduction of national socio-economic planning; regional
planning and local planning; linear development; resettlement
projects; new towns; industrial estates; human settlements
concept; physical planning at the national – regional – local
planning levels
 Establishment of the UP Institute of Planning, now the School of
Urban and Regional Planning.
 Establishment of the Philippine Institute of Environmental
Planners (PIEP).
 PD 1308 professionalizing the field of Environmental Planning.
MARCOS REGIME
 National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), 1972
 Presidential Economic Staff (PES)
 Ministry of Human Settlements (MHS)
 Human Settlements Commission (HSC)
 Metro Manila Commission (MMC)
 National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC)
 National Housing Corporation (NHC)
 PHHC - NHA
 HFC - Home Financing Corporation
MARCOS REGIME
 National Coordinating Council for Town Planning, Zoning and
Housing Human Settlements Development Corporation
 Technology Resource Center
 Lungsod Silangan Project
 Urban and Rural Bliss Program
 Kilusang Kabuhayan at Kaunlaran
 Various Environmental Laws
 Real Estate Laws
MARCOS REGIME
 Physical Planning Strategy for the Philippines
 Metro Manila Bay Strategic Plan
 Mindanao Regional Development Strategy
 Task Force on Human Settlements/PPDO Merger
 Framework Plan for the Philippines
 Metro Manila Strategic Plan
 Tondo Foreshore Project
 Development Academy of the Philippines
 Regional Development Councils
 Bliss Development Corporation
CORAZON AQUINO ERA
 Restoration of democracy
 HSC – HSRC – Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board
 Created the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council
 MMC - MMDA
 HFC - HIGC
 HSRC - HLURB
 Abolished all offices related to human settlements
 TRC - TLRC
 Local Planning -LGC of 1991, Urban Dev’t - UDHA
 National Land Use Planning - NLUC
 CARP - Land conversion
 Information Technology
 Environmental consideration
RAMOS ADMINISTRATION
 Activation of the Environmental Planning Board under the PRC
 Economic development program – Philippines 2000
 Rural electrification
 Setting-up of economic zones
 Major infrastructure projects, power, telecom, LRT, MRT, fly-overs, ports
and airports.
 Real estate boom
 Mining Act of 1995
 Devolution of planning functions
 Private sector active in planning
 Jun Palafox, Tony/Tina Turalba, Ayala, Filinvest, Fort Bonifacio Project, Filinvest
Centre, Manila Boulevard 2000 (Maravillas), Lungsod Silangan –Marilaque;
Calabarzon; Mimaropa; Red Bernardo, Mandaluyong Center, Ortigas Center,
Filinvest City;
 Mushrooming of shopping malls throughout the country;
 Mixed use development – New Bilibid; Welfareville Development Project;
National Government Center; Smokey Mountain Redevelopment Project
 ESTRADA ADMINISTRATION
 Pro-poor (Para sa Masa) – NAPC – Social Reform & Poverty Alleviation
Act
 Clean Air Act of 1999
 ARROYO ADMINISTRATION
 RESA, Climate Change Act of 2009 & DRRM – 2010
 National Historical Commission of the Phils (NHCP), RA 10086 – 2009
 National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 (strenthening NCCA)
 The “Strong Republic” Nautical Highway - (RoRo)
 The mantra of creating one million jobs for Filipinos – e.g., call centers
 Conventional infrastructure – roads, airports, ports, etc
 PNOY AQUINO ADMINISTRATION
 Strong economic growth - BPO, export, industry, tourism, fiscal policy,
real estate boom
 Environmental Planning Law
Developments…
Challenges…
Planning Regions:
Regions first came to existence in on September 24, 1972, when the provinces of the
Philippines were organized into 11 regions by Presidential Decree № 1 as part of
the Integrated Reorganization Plan of President Marcos. Since that time, other regions have
been created and some provinces have been transferred from one region to another.

July 7, 1975 : Region XII created and minor reorganization of some Mindanao regions.
July 25, 1975 : Regions IX and XII declared as Autonomous Regions in Western and
Central Mindanao respectively.
August 21, 1975 : Region IX divided into Sub-Region IX-A and Sub-Region IX-B. Minor
reorganization of some Mindanao regions.
November 7, 1975 : Metropolitan Manila created.
June 2, 1978 : Metropolitan Manila declared as the National Capital Region.
July 15, 1987 : Cordillera Administrative Region created.
August 1, 1989 : Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) created. Region XII
reverted to an administrative region.
October 23, 1989 : First creation of Cordillera Autonomous Region. Ratification rejected by
residents in a plebiscite.
October 12, 1990 : Executive Order 429 issued by President Cory Aquino to reorganize the
Mindanao regions but the reorganization never happened (possibly due
to lack of government funds).
February 23, 1995 :Region XIII (Caraga) created and minor reorganization of some Mindanao
regions. Sultan Kudarat transferred to Region XI.
1997 : Minor reorganization of some Mindanao regions.
December 22, 1997 : Second creation of Cordillera Autonomous Region. Ratification rejected
by residents in a plebiscite.
December 18, 1998 : Sultan Kudarat returned to Region XII.
March 31, 2001 : ARMM expanded.
September 19, 2001 : Most Mindanao regions reorganized and some renamed.
May 17, 2002 : Region IV-A (CALABARZON) and Region IV-B (MIMAROPA) created
from the former Region IV (Southern Tagalog) region. Aurora transferred
to Region III.
May 23, 2005 : Palawan transferred from Region IV-B to Region
VI; MIMAROPA renamed to MIMARO.
August 19, 2005 : Transfer of Palawan to Region VI held in abeyance.
May 29, 2015 : Negros Island Region (NIR) created. Negros
Occidental and Bacolod from Region VI and Negros Oriental from Region
VII transferred to new region.

As of May 2015, the Philippines consists of 18 administrative regions, with one

being autonomous. Some of the region designations include numeric components, some do not.
These regions are geographically combined into the three island groups of Luzon, Visayas,
and Mindanao.
References
Evolution of Philippine Planning,Thought and Experience
 By Roque Arrieta Magno, EnP

Urban Planning in the Philippines

 [Written by K. Delgado Cameña for DURP class P201],
 http://beat-architect.blogspot.com/2011/03/urban-planning-in-philippines.html

Urban Planning, Architecture & Real Estate Development

• By Felino “Jun” Falafox, Jr., Architect, Urban Planner, Environmental Planner

Re-imaging The City:Three Approaches in Conflict

• By Fernando N. Zialcita, Ph. D.
• Dept. of Sociology, Ateneo de Manila
• presented during the 2015 PIEP Convention
Thank You !