The Asian Development Bank, in its Involuntary Resettlement Safeguards document (see here) defines an “Entitlement Matrix” as follows:
An entitlement matrix is a part of a resettlement plan that sets out the type of loss and the definition of the entitled person or the unit of entitlement in a tabular form. It can also include a column setting out compensation and rehabilitation measures for each type of loss resulting from involuntary resettlement.
The Philippines, particularly the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is no stranger to this type of document. They’ve had to be mindful of this concept for recent railway projects in Luzon. The Mindanao Railway Watchers community has assembled the following matrices for the following projects:
Details for each of these projects are available in the tables at the bottom of this article. However, here is an example of what these matrices show.
| Entitled person | Loss of land | |
| Severe / Full | Marginal / Partial | |
| AP who have full title being Original Certificate of Title (OCT) or Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT) or emancipation patents (EP) or Certificates of Land Ownership Award |
Entitlements: Cash compensation for loss of land at full replacement cost computed at current market value, free of taxes, including capital gains tax (CGT), documentary stamps tax (DST), transfer tax, and registration fees, except Real Property Tax (RPT) arrears. Or: If feasible, land for land will be provided in terms of a new parcel of land of equivalent productivity, at a location acceptable to the APs. |
Entitlements: Cash compensation for portion of land at full replacement cost computed at current market value, free of taxes, including CGT, DST, transfer tax, and registration fees, except RPT arrears. Easement Agreement: If the portion of a lot required for a ROW is minimal, such that the expenses for surveying or segregating that portion from the main lot would be more than the value of the part of the lot needed, the DOTr may, if the owner agrees, resort to the mode of easement of ROW (Title VII, Chapter 1 and 2 Civil Code of the Philippines). In this case, cash compensation for the value of the portion of the land subjected to easement agreement computed at latest BIR zonal value, with the owner retaining ownership of said portion of land (Article 630, Chapter 1, R.A. 386 / Civil Code of the Philippines). |
Other portions of the matrix even mention additional assistance -- in SPECIFIC circumstances -- that include:
- Rental subsidy for several months of rental
- Cash compensation to cover the cost of reconnecting utilities
- Transportation to new dwelling inclusive of transportation of belongings
- Food allowance per person related per day 3 days
IMPORTANT
The DOTr has not publicly committed to offering similar compensation to Project Affected Persons for the Mindanao Railway. But these railway projects have set a precedent for what a PAP can expect.
Note further that these entitlements are not just for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). As shown above, even the Asian Development Bank (ADB) recognizes the importance of these entitlements.
Details of the entitlement matrices
Click the images below to enlarge pages of publicly published matrices for the following projects:
North-South Commuter Railway Project
This matrix can be found in this Asian Development Bank document. See page 70. Click the images below to enlarge the relevant pages.
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The matrix can be found in this JICA document. See page 65. Click the images below to enlarge the relevant pages.
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The matrix can be found in this JICA document. See page 6-1. Click the images below to enlarge the relevant pages.
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