Systems Approach to Disaster Risk Reduction in

Comprehensive Land Use Planning

of San Jose City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines

Gella Patria L. Abella

Institute for Climate Change and Environmental Management, Central Luzon State University,
Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
gplabella@clsu.edu.ph

Felino P. Lansigan
College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baños, College, Laguna, Philippines
fplansigan@up.edu.ph

Jerrold M. Tubay
Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Physics, College of Arts and Sciences,
University of the Philippines Los Baños, College, Laguna, Philippines
jmtubay@up.edu.ph

Ana Rosa A. Carmona

College of Education, University of St. La Salle, Bacolod City
a.carmona@usls.edu.ph

Abstract

In the Philippines, mainstreaming disaster risk reduction (DRR) in the development plans of local
government units (LGUs) was emphasized in Republic Act 10121, in response to the Hyogo Framework of
Action. In this study, the methodological framework of integrating DRR in the comprehensive land use plan
(CLUP) using a systems approach was developed and operationalized using the case of San Jose City,
Philippines. In the Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-assisted analysis, the city’s land area was divided
into 1-hectare (ha) by 17,203 grids. Five land use types, namely: tomato, bitter melon, rice, onion, and
residential areas, were reviewed in terms of vulnerability using multiple goal linear programming (MGLP).
The disaster risk of the city, as a function of hazard, exposure, and adaptive capacity, was assessed using climate
scenarios for 2035 along with extreme events on flooding, drought, rain-induced landslides, and earthquake.
The city registered mean scores of exposures (2.74), susceptibility (3.69), and lack of adaptive capacity (2.52),
as well as a mean vulnerability index of 11.02, which is relatively low compared to the highest possible score
of 25. The hazard susceptibility score is expected to increase from 1.18 under the current condition to 1.42
under the 2035 scenario. Consequently, the disaster risk is expected to increase from 12.98 to 15.6 within the
same period. Areas along the river network scored higher in terms of hazard. Under the current and 2035
scenarios, target crop production for selected crops – rice, onion, tomato, and bitter melon – is predicted to be
met with the potential to increase farmers’ net income based on the proposed land use allocation. Moreover,
the allocation can minimize the disaster risk of the city to 0.53 and 1.45, meeting the demand for safe residential
areas of 567.87 ha in the current scenario, and 970.05 ha based on predicted population growth rates for the
2035 scenario. A systems approach is vital in optimizing land use allocation considering development goals
and disaster risks of LGUs.
Keywords: optimal land use allocation, disaster risk reduction, vulnerability, hazard

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1. Introduction 2. Methods of Research

2.1 Study Area
Disasters happen when communities find it difficult to
cope, and their functioning is disrupted after a hazardous San Jose City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines is a third-class
event. Disasters, due to the occurrence of extreme events city located 160 km north of Manila. It has a total land area
associated with global warming and climate change, have of approximately 18,725 ha (CPDO, 2011). San Jose City
increased by 50 percent from the 1950s to the 1990s (UN- was chosen as the study site because it is prone to four
Habitat, 2007). natural hazards namely, flood, agricultural drought,
landslide, and earthquake. Its CLUP is on pending status
UNISDR (2005) emphasized that the starting point for for approval of Provincial Land Use Committee (PLUC)
reducing disaster risk lies in the knowledge of the hazards and Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB)
and vulnerabilities and of how these are changing on a and has not integrated DRR yet.
temporal scale. Thereafter, actions may be taken based on
2.2 Procedure
the assessment. Among the action plan under the Hyogo
Framework for Action 2005-2015 is the reduction of
Adopted from the LUPAS framework developed by
underlying risk factors through land-use planning. This
Roetter, et al. (1998) and Coladilla (2006), the following
was cascaded to the Philippines through RA 10121 or the
are the components of the operational methodology of the
Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
study: Component 1 – Goals and objectives identification;
(PDRRM) Act of 2010, which ensures the integration of
Component 2 – Resource balance and land evaluation;
disaster risk reduction (DRR) into the local development
Component 3 – Yield estimation; Component 4 –
plans, programs, and budgets as a strategy toward
Input/output estimation; and Component 5 – Multiple
sustainable development and poverty reduction. Land use
Goal Linear Programming. The databases needed are:
planning is the most fundamental tool for mainstreaming
Database 1 – Biophysical Resources; Database 2 – Socio-
DRR and climate change adaptation into urban or town
Economic Resources; Database 3 – Hazard and
development processes (UN-Habitat, 2007), as it seeks to
Vulnerability; and Database 4 – Policy Views and
mitigate the risks and vulnerability from several
Development Plans. The third database was added to
geological and hydrologic hazards (Nojavan, Sadeghian,
consider disaster risk reduction and climate change
Mohajeran, & Sobani, 2012) by keeping people and
adaptation.
property out of hazardous areas, providing more
affordable housing and living conditions, protecting the
The susceptibility of an area to four natural hazards,
environment, and reducing the costs of growth and
namely flood, drought, landslide, and earthquake was
development (Simonovic, 2011).
determined by generating maps. Flood and drought hazard
A systems approach can help decision-makers in susceptibility maps were generated using ArcGIS 10.2 out
selecting the best course of action in land use allocation by of the formulas:
providing a better understanding of the interrelatedness of
different components of the system, by broadening the Flood = Σ 0.5Rf + 0.2Sg + 0.14St + 0.11LU + 0.05Dr
scientific information base, and by facilitating the
Drought = Σ 0.42Rf + 0.18Tm + 0.16Gwp+ 0.07Lc +
prediction of the consequences of the options (Simonovic, 0.05Lu + 0.12St
2011).
where,
The Land Use Planning and Analysis System (LUPAS,) Rf: rainfall
framework was adopted and modified to integrate disaster Sg: slope gradient
risk reduction in the comprehensive land use plan of a St: soil texture
local government unit (LGU). Different development and
climate scenarios were constructed, and land use options The weights of the factors were derived using
were presented to provide the LGU with a basis for Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), developed by Saaty
decision-making. (1977), through the Delphi Technique. A total of six (6)
experts in the field of geology (2), agricultural engineering
(2), agricultural science (1), and hydrology and water
resource (1) were asked for their responses. Landslide
hazard susceptibility map was generated using Stability
Index MAPping (SINMAP) software of Project NOAH.
The earthquake hazard susceptibility map was produced
from Rapid Earthquake Damage Assessment System
(REDAS) software devised by the Philippine Institute of
Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).

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Lu: land use where,

Dr: distance from the river PIi: population density index score in grid i
Tm: mean temperature HAi: household assets index score in grid i
Gwp: groundwater potential AAi: agricultural area index score in grid i
Lc: land cover
The susceptibility of the barangays to natural hazards
was determined using the formula below. The weights of
The four hazard susceptibility maps were overlaid the factors were based on the 2011 World Risk Report.
through GIS using the weights evaluated by the disaster
management experts of the city.

where,
where, PIi: public infrastructure index score in grid i
Fli: flood susceptibility index score in grid i Wi: percent of households without access to water
Dri: drought susceptibility index score in grid i index score in grid i
Lsi: landslide susceptibility index score in grid i HCi: housing condition (percent of households living
Eqi: earthquake susceptibility index score in grid i in makeshift housing in each barangay) index
score in grid i
Vulnerability is a function of exposure, susceptibility, Ni: nutrition (population who are undernourished in
and lack of adaptive capacity. An index score of each each barangay) index score in grid i
factor of every component was computed by subjecting Pi: poverty and dependencies in grid i
values to log normalization and standardize the values and Di: dependency ratio index score in grid i
units. Exposure of the elements at risk was computed PLi: poverty level (percent of households below
considering the index scores of population density, extreme poverty in each barangay) index score
household assets, and agricultural area of each barangay in grid i
translated into grid data. Gi: Gini index score in grid i

Lack of adaptive capacity (AC) is a function of gross 3. Results

enrollment ratio, gender parity, adaptive strategies, and
public health expenditure, i.e. The framework is a science-based methodology for
mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into the
comprehensive land use plan of a local government unit.
A systems approach to land use optimization was
where, introduced to the conventional CLUP 12-step process
GERi:gross enrollment rate index score in grid i prescribed by the HLURB in 2013 (Fig. 4). The
GPi: gender parity index score in grid i methodological framework constructed was based on
ASi: adaptive strategies index score in grid i (level of LUPAS developed by Roetter, et al. in 1998. The 12- step
knowledge; the level of awareness on projects; process in formulating CLUP prescribed by the HLURB
the level of preparedness) will not be changed but rather, the systems approach to
Phi: public health expenditure index score in grid i optimal land use allocation integrating DRR was the
modification introduced in the framework. Legal bases of
The level of adaptive strategies of the people was mainstreaming DRR in CLUP were the Hyogo
sought through household surveys. This was measured by Framework for Action 2005-2015 cascaded in Republic
giving scores to the level of knowledge on hazards, level Act 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction
of awareness on government projects regarding DRR, and Management Act of 2010.
level of preparedness of people on hazards. The
respondents were selected using stratified random Six objective functions emerged from the alignment of
sampling. development goals from national to household level,
namely: (1) Maximize rice production; (2) Maximize
The study employed ArcGIS 10.2 (license end-user onion production; (3) Maximize tomato production; (4)
number 235027) for GIS processing, Microsoft Excel for Maximize bitter melon production; (5) Maximize
data storage, and Gurobi (free academic license grbgetkey residential suitability, and (6) Minimize disaster risk in the
2daed634-9d54-a14e-049c-58eb04eca57e) for linear city.
programming and optimization.

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Figure 1. Detailed methodological framework

Agricultural production systems of four crops were the drought scenario, 2ºC was added to the average
analyzed (Table 1). San Jose City produced 88,279 MT of monthly mean temperature of the baseline.
rice planted in 9,102 ha. Tomato and bitter melon had low
yields and small areas of production; however, demands Landslide hazard is based on an extreme climate
for these products were high. scenario of having a rainfall intensity of 100 mm/hr
generated by the SINMAP software of Project NOAH.
Table 1. Area planted, total yield and demand for crops in
The same map was used for both current and 2035
San Jose City, 2015
Area scenarios. For the current condition, an 8-year return
Demand
Crop Planted* Yield* (mt)
(mt) period earthquake hazard susceptibility map was produced
(ha)
Rice 9,102.19 88,279.10 16,653.04
from REDAS software devised by PHIVOLCS using
Onion 979.25 10,021.00 528.95 magnitude 6.9, with epicenter originating from 121.17
Tomato 15.09 180.00 1,095.13 longitude and 15.68 latitude. 23.3-year return period
Bitter 8.25 28.00 329.88
melon
earthquake was simulated having a magnitude of 7.2 and
Source: City Agriculture Office (CAO) keeping other attributes constant. New levels of hazard
susceptibility scores were generated.
Future scenarios up to the year 2035 were constructed
in terms of extreme events and demographic changes. For From 2008 to 2015, the average population growth rate
extreme weather events, 95 mm of rainfall was added to of San Jose City is computed at 1.47 percent. It is
the average total monthly rainfall of baseline using the envisioned that the population will increase from 143,596
raster calculator of GIS to simulate the worst flood in 2015 to 154,321 in 2020 which might require the
scenario or the highest rainfall in 50 years centered in 2035 conversion of 78.53 ha of agricultural land to support
under Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5 residential needs. The 2015 population is projected to
(RCP4.5) scenario. For the drought scenario, 70 mm was increase 191,640 in 2035.
subtracted from the baseline data such that heterogeneous
rainfall all over the area was demonstrated. To complete

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The grids were rated as moderately susceptible under In a 6.9 magnitude earthquake scenario with an 8-year
the current condition and highly susceptible under extreme return period, low-lying areas are predicted to be
event scenarios to flooding. A total of 421.64 ha of the moderately impacted. On the other hand, the mountainous
existing residential area under normal condition was part is generally predicted to receive low earthquake
classified as moderately susceptible and 455.72 ha under impact. A 6.9 magnitude earthquake scenario with a 23-
extreme event scenario was scored as highly susceptible year return period will likely impact a total area of
to flooding. 2,642.34 ha concentrated in some portions of barangays
Porais, Tulat, Palestina, Culaylay, Palestina, San Agustin,
The areas on both sides of the Talavera River were and Kaliwanagan.
rated with high susceptibility to agricultural drought under
normal conditions. The rest of the city was moderately In overlaying flood, drought, landslide, and earthquake
susceptible to agricultural drought. During extreme maps, the flood map was given the highest weight of 0.4,
events, 57 percent or 10,764.76 ha of the total land area of while the rest of the hazards have been given a weight of
the city would be highly susceptible to drought. 0.2. This yielded the mean hazard index score of 1.18 for
San Jose City with low lying areas receiving an index
The rainfall-induced shallow landslide susceptible areas score of below 1, indicating almost no susceptibility to any
under the worst-case scenario reveal that low, moderate, hazard. The areas along with the river network of the city,
and high susceptible areas were concentrated in the forest however, received a hazard index score between 1.01 to
areas of the city which were sparsely inhabited by people. 2.0. Meanwhile, the overall moderate susceptibility of the
mountainous parts of the city is largely due to the
moderate to high susceptibility to landslides (Fig. 2).

Figure 2. Hazard susceptibility under normal condition in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines

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Under the extreme event scenarios, the average hazard the river. Areas along the river and on the mountainous
susceptibility score of the city is 1.42. The land area of the part of the city obtained a score ranging from 1.01 to 2.0
city covered by hazard susceptibility score ranging from (Fig. 3).
2.01 to 3.0 is calculated at 2,958.49 ha, mostly found along

Figure 3. Hazard susceptibility under 2035 scenario in San Jose City

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The study revealed that Barangay Abar ranked highest areas with considerable distance from these barangays had
in terms of exposure index score. Areas in barangays scores ranging from 2.01 to 3.0. In general, the city had a
surrounding the Poblacion and urban barangays had mean exposure index score of 2.74 and a median of 3.13
exposure index scores ranging from 3.01 to 4.0, whereas (Fig. 4).

Figure 4. Exposure index score under the current condition in San Jose City

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Some 73 percent of the barangays of San Jose City had susceptibility index scores ranging from 4.01 to 5.0 and the rest have
scores ranging from 3.01 to 4.0, yielding a mean susceptibility index score of 3.69 and a median of 4.29 (Fig. 5).

Figure 5. Susceptibility index score under current condition in San Jose City

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A substantial area in Barangay Sibut ranked lowest in Tulat, Villa Joson, Sto. Nino 2nd, San Agustin, Villa
terms of lack of adaptive capacity index score among the Marina, and Villa Floresta garnered ratings ranging from
barangays of the city. Areas in Barangays San Mauricio, 3.01 to 4.0. The rest of the barangays garnered index
A. Pascual, Parang Mangga, Sinipit Bubon, Tabulac, scores ranging from 2.01 to 3.0 (Fig. 6).

Figure 6. Lack of adpative capacity index score under current condition in San Jose City

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The mean lack of adaptive capacity index score of San Overall, the least vulnerable areas are in Barangays R.
Jose City was computed at 2.52 and the median was 3.00. Rueda, F.E. Marcos, Tabulac, and Dizol. (Fig. 7).

Figure 7. Vulnerability index score under current condition in San Jose City

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The city received a mean risk index of 12.98 which was considered low relative to the highest possible score of 75 (Fig. 8).

Figure 8. Risk index under the current condition in San Jose City

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With the assumption that vulnerability index scores are city under extreme event scenarios. The average risk index
constant, increased scores of hazard susceptibility in most was 15.6 (Fig. 9).
of the areas consequently increased the risk index of the

Figure 9. Risk index score under 2035 scenario in San Jose City

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Modeling equations were formulated corresponding to The current average risk of the entire city was minimized
each objective function (Table 2) which were subjected to to 0.53. The model provided a solution allocating the
constraints on resources and targets (demand for residential areas where they are most needed, specifically
commodities). in grids under Barangays Sto. Niño 1st and Malasin,
concomitantly providing for the additional population of
Table 2. Area planted, total yield and demand for crops in San 10,725 based on the 2020 projection. The total land area
Jose City, 2015
assigned by the MGLP for residential areas was 567.87 ha.
Objective Optimi Equation
Function zation
All the grids in the land area to be managed were
Total tomato Max = Ʃyta (grid) * x_t(grid) *
production by p_t(grid) assigned with specific land use type, hence the total land
maximizing tomato area of 12,991.43 ha would be used.
suitability
Total bitter melon Max = Ʃyaa (grid) * x_a(grid) * Under the 2035 scenario, with the land use options
production by p_a(grid) processed by MGLP (Fig. 11), tomato production would
maximizing bitter
melon suitability
decrease by 26,116 MT, but still surpassing the target of
337 MT in 2035. Bitter melon production would increase
Total rice Max = Ʃyra (grid) * x_r(grid) *
from 155 MT/year under the current condition to 192
production by p_r(grid)
maximizing rice MT/year. Even with the increase in targets, rice and onion
suitability productions can still meet the targets in 2035.
Total onion Max = Ʃyoa (grid) * x_o(grid) *
production by p_o(grid) The average disaster risk index of the city was reduced
maximizing onion to 1.45. The residential area would cover 970.05 ha, which
suitability
is more than enough for the additional populace of 48,044
Total average Min = Ʃh(grid) * v(grid) * (Table 3).
disaster risk of the x_h(grid)
city
Table 3 Optimization runs results pursuing Goals 1-8 under
Total suitable Max = Ʃp_h(grid) * x_h(grid) current and 2035 scenarios in San Jose City
residential area
Optimization Unit Current 2035 Scenario
Run Results Condition
Under the current condition, the city will have an annual
TL OAL TL OAL
tomato production of 268,292 MT using a total land area
1 Total MT 332 268,293 337 242,177
of 4,895 ha with the land use resulting from running all the
tomato
goals (Fig. 10).
production

The city would have a bitter melon production of 2 Total bitter MT 154 156 156 192
155,814 MT per year. Using a total land area of 5.19 ha, melon
the city can exceed the current bitter melon production, production
but not the demand of the city populace. In terms of rice
production, the city can still meet its current production of 3 Total rice MT 88,279 88,279 89,572 89,572

88,279 MT and overproduce for the city populace despite production

the smaller land area to be used for rice production. The 4 Total onion MT 10,018 10,018 10,164 10,164
current onion production can be met by the city using the production
recommended land area of 472 ha, smaller by 508 ha than
the current land area. 5 Total MT 12.98 0.53 15.60 1.45
average
disaster risk

6 Total ha 78.53 567.87 351.78 970.05

suitable
residential
area

TL – Target Level OAL – Optimal Achievement Level

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Figure 10. Land use options pursuing Goals 1-8 under current condition for San Jose City

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Figure 11. Land use options pursuing Goals 1-8 under 2035 Scenario for San Jose City

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4. Discussion

Based on the total yield given by the CAO, rice, and During extreme events, i.e., reduced rainfall and
onion produced in the locality exceeds the local demand. increased temperature, areas highly susceptible to drought
However, given the 15-ha area planted allotted for a increased by 43 percent from the normal condition. A
tomato with a total yield of 180 MT, tomato being study was conducted on the effects of drought on rice
produced in the locality is inadequate to meet local production in Nueva Ecija in 2009. It was found out that
demands. With an even smaller area of 8.25 ha for bitter in 1998, an El Niño year, there was a significant drop in
melon production, the total yield of 28 MT in the city rice production, which gradually increased after that
cannot meet its demand of 329 MT per annum. (Geoinformatics Center, 2017).

Aside from issues on land area allocation for tomato The mountainous areas of the city were also found to
production, farmers also mentioned that yield was affected have moderately high to very high susceptibility to both
by typhoons and pests. The majority (73 percent) of rain-induced and earthquake-induced landslides (DENR-
respondents that plant tomatoes were affected by insects MGB III, 2012) and are characterized by highly fractured
and worms, like aphids and thrips. In terms of net income, and moderately to highly weathered rocks. Inter-valley
tomato production had the highest average of PhP creeks are short with steep slope gradients. Below are
600,048.54 per year. alluvial fans where stream velocity slackens and
sediments deposit. Rivers tend to shift channel courses.
A flood susceptibility map was generated using the
raster calculator of GIS. LGU officials gave flooding the REDAS was used to generate the level of impacts that
highest rating of 0.4 (1 being the highest) among four may result from an 8-year and 23-year return period
natural hazards as the city is prone to flooding, in terms of earthquake. Areas affected by earthquakes can be
its frequency, scope, and impact. attributed to the Philippine fault line passing through the
structural valley of the city and cutting across other
Grids rated as moderately susceptible in the current municipalities, such as Carranglan, Rizal, Bongabon,
condition and highly susceptible in 2035 scenario to Laur, and Gabaldon. The Philippine fault line and the
flooding generally followed the meandering of the river. structural valley come into contact with the northern and
Low-lying areas and flood plains of the city which follow southern Sierra Madre rock units (DENR-MGB III, 2012).
the meander of the river channels experience seasonal
flood events when the Talavera River, a major river, The hazard map of the city reveals that the low-lying
overflows. areas generally had no susceptibility to any hazard.
However, areas along the river network of the city
River terraces are exhibited by almost flat to gently received moderate susceptibility under normal conditions
sloping ground surface and are mostly utilized as and high susceptibility under extreme events scenario.
residential and agricultural areas of the city (DENR-MGB Such results can be attributed to the higher weight placed
III, 2012). on flooding relative to the other three natural hazards.

Aside from the river’s natural characteristics of being Meanwhile, the overall moderate susceptibility of the
wide, braided, and shallow, its riverbanks are unstable and grids in the mountainous part of the city was due to a
have highly erosive banks leading to heavy sedimentation. combination of high susceptibility to flooding and
Heavy rainfall and extreme events are also major landslide.
contributors to massive sedimentation in river channel and
to its widening. Two barangays with the least vulnerability were
Barangays R. Rueda and F.E. Marcos, both found in the
Agricultural drought, as a hazard, was rated with 0.2 by Poblacion area. Although there was high population
LGU officials. The right and left sides adjacent to Talavera density, the absence of agricultural area made their
River were rated with high susceptibility to agricultural exposure index score low. Moreover, Poblacion barangays
drought under normal conditions. also had low susceptibility and high adaptive capacity
because of better access to water, health and nutrition, and
The high susceptibility to drought of peripheries of the education services. On the other hand, the two rural
Talavera River was attributed to low rainfall and high barangays, Barangays Tabulac and Dizol, had also a low
temperature of the area under normal conditions. vulnerability index because of a very low exposure index
due to low population density.

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Most grids with the highest risk were in mountainous The MGLP assigned residential use to grids where they
barangays because of high hazard and high vulnerability are most needed due to higher population density and with
index scores. Although a moderate hazard index score was minimal disaster risk. Disaster risk reduction was evident
observed, Barangay Abar 1st got a very high exposure in the allocation and locating of the most suitable
index score due to being densely populated, thus receiving residential areas based on the risk index.
a higher risk index. Other grids had relatively high risk
because of their moderate hazard and high susceptibility Decision makers in the local government of San Jose
index scores. Grids which received the highest risk score City were provided with land use allocation options that
under normal condition were also among the top scorers are optimal because they are based on scientific
under 2035 scenarios. Given that there would still be no information and quantified parameters.
people in the mountainous part of the city, even if hazard
susceptibility scores of grids are quite high, still the risk 5. Conclusions and Recommendations
would be low.
The methodological framework of mainstreaming DRR
Foden’s framework of analysis illustrates that grids in the CLUP of a local government unit may be data-
classified in high latent risk or currently not at risk are due intensive but doable. It is highly recommended that the
to low exposure levels. Barangay C. Ramos was also on methodology be adopted by all LGUs based on the
the list because of the absence of an agricultural area in the premise that what one can measure, one can manage.
Poblacion area. Monitoring the environment for concealed
risk is the appropriate intervention. Disaster risk assessment should be conducted first so
that projects, programs, and policies on DRR will be
Barangays classified as having the greatest risk or appropriate. For an area such as a city, different sites have
highly vulnerable were those with high susceptibility different hazard susceptibility levels attributed to its
levels but with moderate exposure and lack of adaptive nature of being site-specific, thus require specific
capacity levels. Barangay C. Ramos may have a high adaptation approaches. Vulnerability assessment is an
vulnerability index score (9.71), but it was classified as excellent basis for prioritizing projects that have
having high latent risk because of low exposure levels. implications on economic and social development. The
resiliency of the community will ultimately be achieved
Grids in Barangay Abar 1st received the highest when disaster risk is reduced through optimal land use
vulnerability score (14.63) because of high exposure and allocation.
susceptibility levels. Further research studies should be
conducted on how to minimize susceptibility, both Acknowledgment
economically (poverty incidence) and physically (utilities
and public infrastructure). The authors would like to express their gratitude to the
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for the
Development goals were translated into six prioritized research grant awarded to the corresponding authors.
objective functions. Objective functions 1 to 4 pertained
to the city’s goal of developing agriculture as a reliable
economic linkage to industry and ensuring optimization of
land use in the city. Maximizing tomato production was
placed first because of underproduction despite being high
income generating.

Priority 5 is minimizing disaster risk to regard the

impacts of natural hazards to people, the most important
element at risk of the city. Interlinked with this is Priority
7, i.e., maximizing residential suitability to provide
healthy and safe settlements to the additional populace and
those living in an unsafe environment.

Optimization run results imply that tomato production

of the city can exceed its current demand entailing a larger
area of production. Bitter melon production, on the other
hand, can also attain its current production in a smaller
area. Even planted in smaller areas, the city may still
perform its role as rice and onion producers of the country.

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References
Coladilla, J.O. (2006). Systems approach to exploratory analysis HLURB. (2013). CLUP Guidebook Volume 1: The Planning
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