The ballot system replaces the current one of competitive bidding for place of worship land. Read more at straitstimes.com.
SINGAPORE – Religious groups said they will have more funds to meet community needs moving forward, after a fixed-price ballot replaces the current system of competitive bidding for place of worship land.
The federation represents about 130 temples and organisations, of which about 10 per cent are on leasehold land. “The mission of every church, whether large or small, always includes outreach projects to the community where it is located,” said the council, which added that churches set aside funds for these causes, and will now be able to increase budgets for outreach programmes.
The council said while any allocation system is difficult to implement given churches’ diverse needs – some operate independently and others are governed by denominational affiliations – balloting is the most practical way to award new sites to its members at this point. But it urged the authorities to consider adjusting the ballot system to account for location-specific needs of organisations.
Ven Kwang Phing said the policy announcement was timely for institutions such as Zu-Lin Temple – where he spoke to reporters on Saturday – which has a 30-year lease expiring in August 2024, and in 2022He said there will likely be demand from Buddhist groups for temple land when sites are put up for ballot later in 2023.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Land for places of worship to be allocated by ballot instead of tenderThe change addresses concerns from religious organisations about the price rise of land used for places of worship over the years, said the Ministry of National Development (MND).
Read more »
OPINION: Adventure in Cubicle Land - Singapore NewsSo long, Cubicle Land Dwellers. Give me Ah-Peks-in-Shorts. They make Singapore great
Read more »
Anwar government draws flak for controversial syariah law BillGovernment faces dilemma of boosting its religious credibility without losing support from non-Malays. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Read more »
Evening Update: Today's headlines from The Straits Times on May 26, 2023Read more at straitstimes.com.
Read more »
How to rent Singapore state properties from SLA and what you can use them forThe leasing of state property and assets are managed by the Singapore Land Authority. Who is allowed to rent them?
Read more »
India’s workers are trapped in a vicious cycle of coal and heatIndia still relies on coal for roughly three-quarters of power generation. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Read more »