President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has signed into law Republic Act No. 12289, also known as the Accelerated and Reformed Right-of-Way (ARROW) Act, a landmark measure designed to expedite land acquisition for government infrastructure projects while ensuring just compensation and protection for affected landowners and families.
The new law introduces key reforms to Republic Act No. 10752 (Right-of-Way Act of 2016), strengthening guidelines on compensation, expropriation proceedings, relocation of affected communities, and coordination with private entities involved in public service.
“Through the ARROW Act, we are addressing long-standing bottlenecks in infrastructure implementation while guaranteeing fairness and transparency in compensating our people,” President Marcos said.
Key Provisions of the ARROW Act
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Fair Compensation System – Land valuation will be based on the Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform Act of 2024 (RA 12001). In the absence of approved market values, compensation will be guided by Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) zonal valuations and the assessed value of improvements such as structures, crops, and immovable machinery.
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Expropriation Guidelines – Implementing agencies or private entities must deposit to the court 15% of the land’s market value, along with the full replacement cost of improvements and 15% of the value of crops and trees, upon filing for expropriation.
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Protection of Informal Settlers – The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), in coordination with local government units (LGUs), is tasked to establish and develop relocation sites for affected informal settler families.
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Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) – Right-of-way acquisition for PPP projects will follow the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Code of 2023 (RA 11966) and its implementing rules and regulations.
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Accountability of Private Entities – Company officials who violate ARROW Act provisions may face civil or criminal liabilities.
New Sections Introduced
The ARROW Act also includes new sections to strengthen implementation:
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Entry and use of property within ancestral domains.
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Relocation of utilities and facilities owned by utility providers.
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Application of RA 8975, which prohibits lower courts from issuing temporary restraining orders on infrastructure projects.
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Guidelines on information sharing and right-of-way acquisition assistance.
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Provisions for foreign-assisted projects.
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Public disclosure of essential right-of-way information.
Wider Implementation Framework
The law expands the inter-agency group tasked with drafting the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) to include the Departments of Agriculture (DA), Interior and Local Government (DILG), Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev), Agrarian Reform (DAR), Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and DHSUD.
With the passage of the ARROW Act, the Marcos administration reaffirms its commitment to the “Build Better More” program by accelerating infrastructure development while safeguarding the rights of property owners and communities.
