Eternal Gardens project stalled as land reclassification put on hold

By Paolo DS. Papa

THE city government of Naga is unable to process the reclassification of the nine-hectare agricultural land in Barangay Pacol acquired by Eternal Gardens for the development of another private cemetery.

The developer reportedly began dumping activities in the irrigated rice field sometime in 2024, even before securing land reclassification, which is required prior to any land conversion and must first be approved by the local government.

City Councilor Frank Mendoza, chair of the Committee on Agriculture of the 15th Sangguniang Panlungsod, said in an interview that land reclassification is a requirement of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) before the land conversion process can proceed.

Mendoza added that under DAR rules, lands subject to conversion must not be irrigated or irrigable.

In February last year, the city government issued a notice of violation against Eternal Gardens for undertaking development activities without securing the required land reclassification.

Following the violation, the City Planning and Development Office ordered the cessation of construction activities at the site, except for fencing works that were permitted by the City Engineer’s Office.

Mendoza said the reclassification of the area must undergo a series of public hearings and be approved by the Sanggunian through a city ordinance.

The developer applied for land reclassification in March 2025, but Mendoza reiterated that the documents submitted by the company were incomplete for the stated purpose.

As of this writing, the reclassification process remains suspended due to the six-month moratorium on the processing of land reclassification applications imposed by the Department of Agriculture (DA) from January to June this year.

In a separate interview, Acting City Agriculturist Ernesto Asence III said the suspension is a favorable move for the agriculture sector.

He said the six-month suspension allows the national government sufficient time to review existing land reclassification policies, which could lead lawmakers to introduce regulations limiting the rapid conversion of farmlands for other economic purposes.

Asence also disclosed that Philippine Statistics Authority data show that Naga City had about 4,550 hectares of agricultural land, but this figure dropped to around 1,500 hectares from 2014 to 2024 due to extensive land conversions over the past decade.