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c 
A C R E  
13TH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
SENATE 
S. No. 
INTRODUCED BY HON. MANUEL B. VILLAR JR. 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Coastal environments encompass different ecosystems such as shore lands, mangroves, 
seagrass beds and coral reefs. They are among the most productive and biologically diverse 
landscapes known to man. In an archipelagic country like the Philippines, where over 80% of the 
major settlements are located within ten or twenty kilometers from the shorelines, coastal 
environments are critical and often dominant ecological presuppositions of economic, social and 
cultural life. Thus, the protection and proper management of coastal environments are important 
concerns of the State and are explicitly mandated by the Constitution. 
The adoption of a Coastal Environment Program (CEP) is within the objectives, provisions, 
scoping and principles of the Philippine Strategy for Sustainable Development (PSSD), the 
Philippine Medium-Tern Development Plan (PMTDP) and of the actions and agreements adopted 
by the Philippine Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) related to the pursuit of the 
objectives of the Agenda 21 of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Sustainable 
Development (UNCED) and of such other protocols and treaties to which the Philippines has 
committed to abide. 
In view of the above-stated importance of establishing a Coastal Environment Program, 
early approval of this Act is enjoined. 


' %  
13TH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
I
.
 
RE 
SENATE 
S. No. 
'33 
INTRODUCED BY HON. MANUEL B. VILLAR JR. 
AN 
ACT 
ESTABLISHING 
THE 
COASTAL 
ENVIRONMENT 
PROGRAM, 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. 
Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the Coastal Environment 
Program (CEP) Act of 2004. 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - The State shall promote partnerships among all sectors of 
Philippine society to protect, conserve and manage, on a sustainable basis, coastal 
environments throughout the terhtorial jurisdiction of the country. 
The integrity of wastal ecosystems and their productivity and biodiversity shall be 
maximized subject to some areas being designated for protection (exclusion of human 
exploitation) and others for sustainable use. 
Equitability of access to and utilization of resources and substantive involvement of local 
communities and stakeholders shall be basic concerns of the Program. 
SEC. 3. Lead Agency. - The Departmeot of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 
shall be the lead agency in the implementation of this Act. It shall consult and coordinate 
with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Department of Agriculture, other 
concerned agencies such as Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural 
Resources, Research and Development (PCARRD), International Center for Living Aquatic 
Resources Management (ICLARM), and the University of the Philippines Marine Institute, 


and others, and the local governments, whenever applicable: Provided, That in the 
Province of Palawan, the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development shall implement 
the provisions of this Act pursuant to Republic Act No. 7611 or the Strategic 
Environmental Plan for Palawan; 
SEC. 4. Definition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act, the following terms shall mean: 
(1) Coastal environments. - Those areas where, at any given time, socioeconomic 
interactions among and between humans, land-based and sea-based natural resources occur, 
extending no more than one (1) linear kilometer from the highest tide point landward and to 
one hundred (100) fathom isobath or fifteen (15) linear kilometers (whichever is farther) 
seaward. 
(2) Coastal resources. - All objects and processes of nature which are of value to humans, 
grouped primarily as follows: 
(a) Shorelands. - Strips of land extending one (1) linear kilometer from the highest tide 
point of the nearest body of water, include the mineral, nutrients and life forms found 
under, on or above the land. 
(b) Coastal forests. - Mangroves and other beach vegetation whose structures and forms are 
consistent with the definition of forests under Presidential Decree No. 705 and the Forestry 
Master Plan of the Philippines. 
(c) Fishery and wildlife resources. - Vertebrates, invertebrates and floral formations in 
aquatic ecosystems, inhabiting or deriving sustenance from coastal environments. 
(d) Minerals, - Solids and gases (free or dissolved) and other liquids found on or under the 
seabed. 
SEC. 5. Program Organization. - The CEP shall be otganized into the following 
components: 
(1) Coastal habitats and biodiversity. - This component shall deal mainly with the 
conservation and management of coastal areas, enhancing the biodiversity of floral and 
faunal populations. This component shall include the implementation of Republic Act No. 
7586 or the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 1992, relative to protected 


areas in coastal environments. 
seagrasses and coral reefs in designated areas. 
(2) Endangered species. - This component shall focus on the conservation, protection and 
propagation of endangered species and on the protection and management of their habitats. 
Existing projects of the DENR on marine turtles, crocodiles, sea snakes, shore birds, 
whales, sea cows, porpoises and others shall be included in this component. 
(3) Coastal industries and pollution. - This component shall focus on the regulation of 
industrial activities and water pollution in coastal areas. It shall study the impact of 
industrial activities and draw down pollution on coastal environments, to identify and 
recommend development and regulatory options to mitigate negative effects. 
(4) Resource inventory and assessment. - This component shall include activities to identify 
and estimate existing and future stocks of ecologically and economically important coastal 
species. 
(5) Research and special projects. - This component shall include activities related to the 
development, testing and application of methodologies to understand coastal environments 
and their associated resource systems. Special projects shall include those which, because 
of their unique scoping or funding specifications, may not be associated to the other four 
(4) components of the CEP. 
Future activities of the DENR relating to coastal environments shall be assigned to either or 
any of the five components above. 
SEC. 6. CEP Implementation. - All activities included in the CEP shall involve three (3) 
general phases, as follows: 
' 
(1) Information, education and communication (IEC) campaign coupled with community 
organizing, to achieve higher levels of participation of local communities in the activities; 
(2) Introduction of intended interventions of package of developmental activities for 
eventual adoption by partner communities and sectors; and 
(3) Monitoring and evaluation of the activity to seek options and opportunities for follow- 
up and institutionalization. 
It shall also include the rehabilitation of mangroves, 


Each phase may overlap, to the extent deemed nee#ed by the implementors to ensure 
success of the activity. 
SEC. 7. Local Government and Community Participation. - CEP activities shall, to all 
extent possible, involve local communities and sectoral organizations (POs, NGOs and 
LGUs) in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating the activity. Leadership in 
the CEP activities shall be reposed on, or at least shared by the DENR with, the local 
leaders and community members. 
SEC. 8. Trainings. - The DENR shall give priority to the training of Department personnel 
and community leaders in the technical aspects of resource inventory and assessment as 
well as proper monitoring and evaluation of activities, to develop local expertise and to 
establish a reliable and uniform data base. 
SEC. 9. Program Management. - Overall direction and management of the CEP shall be 
reposed on the DENR Secretary. However, said direction and management affecting the 
Province of Palawan shall be exercised by the Palawan Council for Sustainable 
Development pursuant to Republic Act No. 7611 or the Strategic Environmental Plan for 
Palawan. There is hereby created a committee to be known as the National Coastal 
Environment Program Steering Committee (NCEPSC) which shall assist the DENR 
Secretary in formulating the policies and implementing guidelines of the CEP. The 
NCEPSC shall be composed of the following: 
(a) Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, chairman; 
(b) Secretary of Agriculture, member; 
(c) Director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, member; 
(d) Secretary of Science and Technology, member; 
(e) Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, member; 
(f) Director of the Protected Aieas and Wildlife Bureau, member; 
(g) Two (2) representatives from nongovernment organizations (NGOs) concerned with 
coastal environment protection and conservation, members; and 


(h) Two (2) representatives of national organizations or federations of fisherfolk 
organizations to be appointed by the President for a term of three (3) years, members 
The Secretary shall designate a National Coastal Environment Program Coordinator who 
shall assist in the implementation of the Program nationwide. The NCC shall direct the 
administrative and technical staff as may be formed by the Secretary, which shall serve as 
the coordinating body for all CEP activities. 
Regional Executive Directors may designate any officer or either Regional Technical 
Director (RTD), Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) or 
equivalent level to be the Regional CEP Coordinator (RCC), subject to the approval by the 
Secretary. 
SEC. 10. Appropriations. - The sum necessary to effectively carry out the provisions of 
this Act during the first year of implementation shall be sourced from the appropriations for 
the coastal environment program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources 
under the current General Appropriations Act. 
Thereafter, such amount as may be 
necessary for its continued implementation which should not be less than the amount of 
prior years’ appropriations, shall be submitted by the Department of Environment and 
Natural Resources to be included in the annual General Appropriations Act. 
The Department pf Environment and Natural Resources may receive grants, subsidies, 
donations or contributions, bequests or gifts, in cash or in kind from corporations, trusts, 
foundations, associations and other sources from any private or government office, agency 
or corporation in the Philippines or abroad. The cash receipts and sale of donated 
commodities shall be deemed automatically appropriated for purposes specified by the 
donor. 
SEC. 11 Repealing Clause. - All laws and regulations inconsistent with this Act are hereby 
repealed. 
SEC. 12. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect upon approval. 
Approved,