Preamble
WHEREAS, it is a declared objective of the New Society to effect social, economic and political reforms attuned to the establishment of a secure national community and to an improved quality of life for all citizens and for all others who may sojourn upon our shores; WHEREAS, the quality of human life in our times is inescapably determined by the relationship among population, resources, the environment, and intelligent policies; WHEREAS, human settlements is an integrative concept embracing the interdependence of men's environment, human shelters and structure, and the design and organization of human communities consistent with a national framework plan, all for the people's security and well-being; WHEREAS, land is the ultimate platform of all man's activities, and the crucial factor in determining the shape of human settlements; WHEREAS, the basic law of the land explicitly provides for the regulation of the acquisition, ownership, use, enjoyment and disposition of private property and for the equitable diffusion of property ownership and profits which includes land and land resources; WHEREAS, the traditional concept of landownership has aggravated the problem arising from urbanization such as the proliferation of blighted areas and the worsening of the plight of the urban poor and has spawned valid and legitimate grievances in urban centers giving rise to social tension and violent conflicts; WHEREAS, a social reform objective of the New Society is to renew blighted areas, improve the conditions of the urban poor and resolve and redress legitimate grievances arising therefrom, while at the same time providing incentives to progressive landowners and developers who wish to develop their lands in accordance with government plans and programs responsive to community welfare; NOW, THEREFORE, in the light of the above premises, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby order, decree and make as part of the law of the land that: