Socio-Economic and Physical Profile - The Physical Environment Socio-Economic and Physical Profile is structured as follows: The Physical Environment •   Physical Character –   Geographical Location and Area –   Geology –   Topography, Elevation and Slope –   Geomorphology –   Soil Type –   Erosion –   Water Resources Characteristics –   Land and Associated Soil Characteristics –   Protected Areas of Agriculture –   Atmospheric Characteristics –   Air Quality •   Land Classifications •   Preservation and Conservation Areas Demographic Characteristics •   Population Levels, Growth, Distribution & Movements –   Levels and Growth Pattern –   Population Movements –   Age-Sex Structure –   Literacy Rate –   Religious Affiliations –   Number of Households, 1970-2000 –   Population Density, 1990-2000 •   Projected Population Land Use •   Historical Land Use •   City Form and Structure –   The City's Natural & Man-Made Landmarks –   Major Paths of Movements –   The City's Edges •   Existing Land Utilization Pattern –   Urbanisation Pattern –   Agricultural Areas –   Idle Land or Grasslands –   Forested Areas –   Tourism Areas •   Land Development Trends •   Future Land Use Demand –   Urban Land Demand –   HLURB Land Use Demands •   Development Needs The Local Economy The Local Economy •   Economic Activities •   Family Income and Expenditures –   Agriculture –   Fisheries Development Program –   Agricultural Service –   Status of CARP –   Veterinary Services –   Slaughterhouse Operation –   Commercial Establishments –   Industry –   Tourism Human and Social Development •   Health, Nutrition and Sanitation –   Health Status Indicators –   Health Care Provision –   Health Resources Profile –   Development Needs •   Education, Culture and Sports –   Educational Facilities and Manpower –   Student Enrollment –   Pre-School Education –   Culture, Sports and Recreation Facilities –   Development Needs •   Housing Resettlement –   Development Needs •   Public Safety and Protective Services –   Crime Incidence –   Police Protection Personnel and Facilities –   Police Services –   Fire Protection and Prevention –   Administration of Justice –   Development Needs •   Social Welfare and Development –   Social Welfare Programmes and Services –   Development Needs •   Indigenous Communities –   Development Needs Infrastructure •   Roads and Transport –   Road Network Profile –   Bridges –   Modes of Transportation –   Traffic Prone Areas –   Upcoming Projects –   Development Needs •   Water –   Water Resources –   Existing Situation –   Development Needs •   Drainage and Sewerage –   Existing Situation –   Development Needs •   Power –   Existing Situation –   Upcoming Projects –   Development Needs •   Telecommunications –   Existing Situation –   Development Needs Environmental Management •   Solid Waste Management •   Liquid Waste Management •   Forest Resource Management •   Management of Prime Agricultural Areas •   Development Needs Development Administration •   Organisational Framework and Resource Capability –   Human Resources –   City Planning and Development Office •   Financial Capability –   Historical Income –   Historical Expenditure –   Income and Expenditure Trends –   Projected Income •   Legislative and Administrative Framework –   Zoning Ordinance •   Development Needs Preservation and Conservation Areas In order to formulate a sustainable Land Use Plan for San Jose del Monte and to identify areas that are most suitable for future developments, an examination of the City's land resources was carried out. The analysis was based on the Technical Definition and Scope of Environmentally Critical Projects and Areas, based on the National Environmental Protection Council Office Circular No. 3, Series of 1983, as well as other National Laws and Local Legislative Ordinances that regulate the use of land in our country. Among others, these include the Network of Protected Agricultural Areas or NPAAAD, Agriculture and Fisheries Modernisation Act of AFMA, Network of Integrated Protected Areas or NIPAS and Water Code. Within the context of the CLUP, areas that are best withheld from urban development are referred to as Preservation and Conservation Areas. The following are brief descriptions of these areas and the respective legislation that regulate their utilisation and development: Forest Lands and Areas with Critical Slopes The Environmentally Critical Projects and Areas per NEPC OC No. 3, S. 1983, delineates all areas with slopes 40 percent and above as environmentally critical. In turn, Presidential Decree 705 or the Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines mandates that no public land 18 percent in slope or over shall be classified as alienable or disposable. Moreover, the latter also provides that lands having slopes 18 percent or over that are already part of well-established communities should be kept in vegetative conditions sufficient to prevent erosion and other adverse effects. Further, no land with 50 percent slope or over shall be used as grazing land. Grass covered lands within these slopes should be reforested and covered with sufficient trees. Under the general jurisdiction of DENR, "only the utilisation, exploitation, occupation or possession of any forest lands, and grazing lands, or any activity therein, involving one of its many resources, which will produce the optimum benefits, to the development, and progress of the country and the public welfare, without impairment or with the least injury to its resources shall be allowed." Areas with critical slopes in San Jose del Monte are located in portions of Barangays Minuyan Proper, Minuyan I to III, Citrus, Sapang Palay Proper, Kaypian, Sto. Cristo, Kaybanban, Tungkong Mangga, Graceville, Gaya-Gaya, Paradise III and portions of the Forest Zone. Figure 2.3 shows the areas with critical slopes in the City that should be protected from misuse. Aesthetic Potential Tourist Spots Located in Barangay Graceville, with a land area of 20 hectares, is the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto. It is an exact replica of Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in France and is regularly visited by thousands of pilgrims and devotees, especially during the Lenten Season. River and Streams Easement Presidential Decree No. 1067 or the Water Code of the Philippines mandates that " banks or rivers and streams and the shores of the seas and lakes throughout their entire length and within a zone of three meters in urban areas, 20 meters in agricultural areas and 40 meters in forest areas, along their margins, are subject to the easement of public use in the interest of recreation, navigation, flotage, fishing and salvage." Further, "no person shall be allowed to stay in this zone longer than what is necessary for recreation, navigation, flotage, fishing or salvage or to build structures of any kind." Figure 2.8 shows the surface water resources of San Jose del Monte. No fresh surface water in San Jose del Monte has a DENR Classification based on beneficial use. Ancestral Domain Republic Act No. 8371 or The Indigenous People's Rights Act of 1997 defined Ancestral Domains as "all areas generally belonging to Cultural Communities/Indigenous People's comprising lands, inland waters, coastal areas, and natural resources therein, held under a claim of ownership, occupied or possessed by ICCs/IPs, by themselves or through their ancestors, communally or individually since time immemorial, continuously to the present except when interrupted by war, force majeure or displacement by force, deceit, stealth or as a consequence of government projects or any other voluntary dealings entered into by government and private individuals, corporations. It shall include ancestral land, forests, pasture, residential, agricultural, and other lands individually owned whether alienable and disposable or otherwise, hunting grounds, burial grounds, worship areas, bodies of water, mineral and other natural resources, and lands which may no longer be exclusively occupied by ICCs/IPs but from which they traditionally had access to for their subsistence and traditional activities, particularly the home ranges of ICCs/IPs who are still nomadic and/or shifting cultivators. National Commission on Indigenous Peoples Administrative Order No.1 of 1998 which implements RA 8371, mandates that the " rights of ICC/IPs to their ancestral domains and land by virtue of native title shall be recognised and respected." According to the above-mentioned administrative order, all areas within the ancestral domains are communally owned and could not be sold, disposed or destroyed. Prime Agricultural Lands Republic Act 8435 or Agriculture and Fisheries Modernisation Act of 1997 refers to Strategic Agriculture and Fisheries Development Zones as 'centres where development in the agriculture and fisheries sector are catalysed in an environmentally and socio-cultural manner.' Hence, SAFDZ are the most productive agricultural lands of the city. The city has delineated sections of agricultural lands located in Barangays Sapang Palay Proper, Dulong Bayan, Muzon, Gaya-Gaya, Kaypian and Yakal as the SAFDZ of the city. These have a total land area of 1,012.50 hectares. A composite map of the various preservation and conservation areas within San Jose del Monte is presented in Figure 2.12. The preservation and conservation areas comprise 4,335.78 hectares (Table 2.5 refers) of the City while the areas suitable for urban developments comprise a total of 2,899.56 hectares. This is outside of the existing built-up areas, which now comprise about 25 percent of the City's total land area. The areas suitable for future urban developments are found scattered in all the barangays of the City, except in Barangay San Isidro. Table 2.5 Assessment of SJDM Land Resources Land Area Lan Area (Ha.) Percentage to Total City Area Built-up 2,588.11 24.52 Areas for Conservation and Preservation 4,335.78 41.09 Roads 729.55 6.91 Areas for Urban Development 2,899.56 27.48 Total City Land Area 10,553.00 100.00