Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILLNo,__ 8154

Introduced by HON. ELISA T. KHO

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This proposed bill seeks to engage Filipinos in participating in a massive tree planting
activity every year.

Our forest cover is one of our most important treasure that we should be protecting and
sustaining. Recent calamities, especially typhoons, massive flooding, landslides, and soil erosions,
have brought havoc, destruction, death and misery on our land and to our people. Not only that,
these occurrences have been frequent and repeated over the past years. The massive deforestation
removed the natural filters of mountains and has accelerated the water absorption into the soil
Furthermore, air pollution has exacerbated harming the carth’s ozone and increasing the
temperature. The limited number of trees that clean our air increased the harmful pollutants that
we breathe. The problem of deforestation has also reduced the biodiversity of our flora and fauna
leaving hundreds of thousands of plant and animal species dying and driven to extinction.

With this One Filipino, One Tree Bill, we would like to involve every year, down to the
grassroots level the regeneration of our fast disappearing trees in order to promote environmental
conservation, build climate resilience and empower each individual Filipino to participate in
saving our local community as well as our national patrimony.

In view of the foregoing reason, the approval of this bill is earnestly sought.

efrrguandue at

HON. ELISA T. KHO, M.D., FPCCP:


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILLNo.__8154

Introduced by HON. ELISA T. KHO

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE MANDATORY PLANTING OF ONE TREE FOR EACH
FILIPINO AGED 7 YEARS OLD AND ABOVE EACH YEAR AND APPROPRIATING
FUNDS THEREFOR.

Be enacted by the House of Representatives and the Senate of the Philippines in Congress
assembled :

SECTION 1. Title. — This Act shall be known as the “One Fil

10, One Tree Act of 2020”.

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. —Itis the declared policy of the state to protect and advance
the right of the people to a balance and healthy ecology in accord with nature. Toward this end, a
sustainable rehabilitation of our nation’s forest lands shall be undertaken and participated in by all
Fitipinos through the planting of trees in order to improve the country’s ccology and forest
regeneration initiatives.

SECTION 3. Coverage. — Each Filipino aged 7 years old and above shall be required to plant one
(1) tree per year.

‘Areas identified by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in
cooperation with the Local Government Unit (LGU) as open, denuded forestlands, critical
watershed, mangrove areas, national parks, protected areas, idle portions of alienable and
disposable lands and reservations shall be designated as tree planting areas. In case the local
government unit has no identifiable portion of their jurisdiction suitable for the planting of trees,


the LGU shall coordinate a partnership agreement with any LGU nearest them, with designated
areas for tree planting, for their constituents to comply with this Act.

SECTION 4. Implementing Agencies. ~ This Act shall be implemented by the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources and the Local Government Unit concerned as lead agencies
with the cooperation of various agencies of the government with the following functions:

a. DENR through its Regional Offices, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources
Office and Community Environment and Natural Resources Office shall formulate the
plan, implement, coordinate and monitor the implementation of this Act. Their function
shall include the following:

- identification, selection and allocation of sites for tree planting activities.

- establishment of nurseries and greenhouses for the distribution of right tree planting
materials to identified areas

- application of protective mechanism and maintenance for newly planted trees

- maintain data base on persons who planted and the areas planted

- undertake information and education campaign relative to this Act.

b. LGUs shall mobilize its constituents to participate in this Act. In order to maximize
manpower and resources, it may designate dates when constituents can, together in groups
and batches, can undertake the tree panting activities. It shall likewise coordinate with the
DENR in the initiation of information and educational campaign in implementing this
campaign. The LGU shall also be responsible for the distribution of tree seedlings to their
constituents and shall maintain a data base of their constituents who complied with the
activity.

c. The Department of Agriculture (DA) shall provide assistance to this activity through
technical support through proper practice in sustainable management of the planted
fruit trees. They shall also maintain fruit tree nurseries for distribution to the LGUs and
their constituents.

d. The Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED),
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the State
Colleges and Universities (SUCS) shall undertake environmental education in support
of this Act in order to mobilize students and their families to plant trees in their
localities.

¢. The Philippine Information Agency (PIA) shall undertake public awareness of this Act
and the dissemination of information materials to allow the public to respond to this
national effort.


SECTION 5. Funding. - Funds shall be additionally allocated, to augment the reforestation
program of the national government under the General Appropriations Act, to finance the funding
requirements of this Act.

SECTION 6. Monitoring and Evaluation. - The DENR shall prepare and publish, together with
the inputs of all LGUs and other support agencies, a progress report annually in the implementation
of this program. It shall likewise submit the said report to the Office of the President.

SECTION 7. Promulgation of Rules and Regulations. - The DENR shall prepare and publish the
rules and regulations implementing this Act within (sixty) 60 days from the date of effectivity of
this Act.

SECTION 8. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect after its publication in the Official Gazette.

Approved.