July 21, 1981

MINISTRY MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 09-81

TO                :     All Regional Directors, District Officers and Team Leaders

RE                :     Conversion of tenanted private agricultural lands into non-agricultural purposes.

            In compliance with the instructions of the President the following reports that have reached our attention, you are hereby directed to submit at the soonest time a list of all tenanted private agricultural lands within your respective regions or areas that have been converted or transformed into residential or commercial or industrial or other urban purposes and under whose authority or direction such conversion or transformation has been made, the date/dates the same was commended, the extent of development made as well as the improvements introduced thereon, the agency or person who exercise control and supervision, participation of our Office on the matter, if any, and such other relevant information that will serve as guide in the proper evaluation of such situation.

  DcCEHI

            You are also enjoined to exercise vigilance in seeing to it that pertinent laws and regulations regulating/prohibiting conversion of tenanted private agricultural lands for the purposes stated above are enforced and observed. Special mention is herein made about the strict observance of the national policy that prime riceland (irrigated/ricelands) whether under leasehold or operation land transfer are not allowed to be transformed into non-agricultural purposes. Should you find any instance of this nature in your respective areas, take the initiative of preventing conversion by advising the person or entity concerned about the said national policy and submit without delay a comprehensive report on the matter to the undersigned for further action. Among the existing laws and regulations that are pertinent to the subject matter of conversion are Section 36 (1) of Republic Act No. 3844, as amended, Presidential Decrees Nos. 399, 583, 815 and 1517 and Letter of Instruction No. 713 to which your attention is invited including Ministry Memorandum Circular No. 11 dated June 25, 1979 and the Memorandum Agreement among our Office, the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development and the Ministry of Human Settlements dated May 13, 1977, which prescribed the procedures to be followed and observed in connection with applications/petitions for conversion.

            Please be guided accordingly.   caITAC

         July 21, 1981

(SGD.) CONRADO F. ESTRELLA
Minister