Built-up

The built-up areas or settlements include the residential, commercial, agro-industrial, institutional, parks and playground, special uses, roads and bridges comprising a mere 214.89 hectares or 2.16 percent of the total municipal area. The most dominant of these urban uses is residential covering about 113 hectares, the widest located in the Poblacion or in urban core area. 

Various institutions account for 6.5 hectares to include the Marcos Municipal Hall, Plaza, Municipal Auditorium and other public buildings such as the Doña Josefa Edralin Marcos District Hospital (DJEMDH) the Rural Health Unit, the school sites and religious institutions in the town proper and in the rural areas.

Commercial areas representing 2 hectares or 0.02 percent include the public market, other major business establishments such as drug stores, gasoline station, grocery stores, lumber and hardware, furniture shops, automotive repair shops, eateries, canteens, private hospital and other services.

These areas are found only in the urban areas. Although several sari-sari stores are found in the rural areas, these have not been included in the commercial area because they are too small and are only accessories to the residential use.

Other urban uses occupying significant land areas include parks and playground; agro-industrial or the big rice mills; special uses like cemetery, cell sites, dumpsite, roads and bridges.

Agricultural Lands

Area devoted to agricultural purposes represents a total of 5,440.97 hectares. Crop areas occupy 3,253.54 hectares, while lowland and upland pasture/livestock areas cover 2,190.97, hectares.

Forest

Forest land has a total area of 1,185.79 hectares or 15.064% of the municipality’s total land area. These are basically the mountainous areas, and are characterized by their high elevations, moderate to steep slopes, and inaccessibility to any mode of transportation with the probable exception of horses. The forestland is further sub-categorized as to actual use as woodland /timberland and open grassland.

The open grassland portion is being rehabilitated and part of this can be worked out for declaration as alienable and disposable.

Preliminary dialogues with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources were conducted regarding the identification of new areas within the municipality for added cultivation to participate in the national greening program of the government.

Others

The Padsan, Burnay and Madongan Rivers are the only inland bodies of water in the municipality. River beds and banks  occupy 39.43 hectares or .39 percent of the whole municipal area. Through the years, water from rivers has become scarce. Drought, floods, soil erosion, landslides and other environmental hazards have become common occurrence not just in the municipality but the whole province as well. Forest denudation and ecological degradation have severely affected water yield of the rivers.

Urban and Land Uses

The poblacion or urban center of the municipality comprises one (1) barangay with a land area of 498.025 hectares. This represents only 6.327 percent of the total 7,871.5 hectares that cover the territorial jurisdiction of Marcos. This area is the educational, institutional, religious and commercial center of the municipality. Although designated as urban, approximately 21.63 percent of the total area of the urban barangays is being utilized for agricultural activities.

Residential

Residential settlements in the area follow the grid pattern defined by parallel road network. This is the most dominant urban land use, occupying 24 hectares or 3.1 % percent of the total area of the urban barangays, most of which are found in Barangay Lydia. Residential structures are generally single detached with provisions for wide front and back yards which are utilized for gardening and other residential accessories like playground and car garage. Residential land use density is still considered low.

Socialized Housing

Land is the most critical among the resources required for a shelter program not only because the supply is a fixed quantity but also because a number of activities and uses are in competition with one another for access to the same land. High income housing is in competition with low income housing for land just a commercial and industrial activities are in competition with housing in general. 

The proposed Residential or Socialized housing area of the Municipality of Marcos is located at Sitio North Parola Barangay Lydia, it has an approximately 13, 854 square meters or 1. 38 hectares of the Municipality’s total land area. Some people of Marcos has already acquired their own lots subject in accordance with the municipality’s existing laws on housing use. With the demand of growing population of Marcos, the Local Government is planning to acquire additional lots to expand the proposed settlement area to 0.5 hectares to cater the growing demand of housing. Various commercial establishment should be establish to address the people’s need. The proposed land area could supply the required land demand within the planning period.

Institutional

Institutional areas include lots where public buildings, utilities, facilities and other socio-economic infrastructures are constructed. Municipal buildings, Rural Health Unit, Municipal Auditorium, the Mothering Center. The Marcos Central Elementary School, The Marcos National High School, the MAIS TESDA, Kids Kollege, Inc. and churches are also constructed in the area. These institutions have an aggregate land area of 6.5 hectares or .08 percent of the urban barangays land area.

Commercial

Commercial land uses refer to the public market, livestock market, structures and lots dominantly occupied by business establishments, including private entrepreneurs. Barangay Lydia appears to be the concentration of commercial establishments and activities. However, Brgy. Daquioag is slowly becoming the growth center of the Municipality. At present, the existing commercial area is only 0.10 percent of the whole urban barangays area.

Parks/Playground and Others

Functional open space represents the area occupied by the municipal park/playground and the basketball court with an area of 0.36 hectare or 0.06 percent of the urban barangay’s area.

Agro-Industrial and Special Uses

A rice mill with an area of 0.10 hectare was constructed in the urban core. Likewise, cell sites and slaughter house were constructed in the urban core and they have a total land area of 0.38 hectares.