Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
House Bill No. ______ 
Introduced by Rep. ANGELO MARCOS BARBA 
2nd District, Ilocos Norte
AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING QUARTERLY TREE PLANTING 
ACTIVITY IN THE PHILIPPINES, APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Philippines is one of the most severely deforested countries in the 
tropics and most deforestation has happened in the last 40 years. Estimates 
place forest cover in the Philippines in the year 1900 at 21 million hectares, 
covering 70 % of the total land area. By 1999, forests covered 5.5 million 
hectares; only 800,000 hectares of this was primary forest. As illegal logging 
continues, the remaining forest is endangered. 1 
Along 
with 
other 
Southeast 
Asian countries, 
deforestation in 
the Philippines is a major environmental issue. Over the course of the 20th 
century, the forest cover of the country dropped from 70 percent down to 20 
percent.2 Based on an analysis of land use pattern maps and a road map an 
estimated 9.8 million hectares of forests were lost in the Philippines from 
1934 to 1988.3 
With the steadfast implementation of the current administration’s 
“BUILD, 
BUILD, 
BUILD” 
program 
which 
genuinely 
promotes 
the 
improvement of the general welfare of the people and with the prevailing 
consumerist culture of society, our natural resources particularly our trees 
must not only be preserved but must also keep up in these times of rapid 
modernization and industrialization in order to serve as further protection of 
our soils. 
To express our inherent duty to protect the environment and for future 
generations to enjoy the legacy left by us, the would-be ancestors and in 
1 Walpole, P. (2012). Low forest cover in the Philippines: Issues and responses at the community level. Retrieved 
https://essc.org.ph/content/lview/579/1/#:~:text=The%20Philippines%20is%20one%20of,of%20the%20total%20 
land%20area on March 11, 2021. 
2  Lasco, R. D.; R. D. (2001). "Secondary forests in the Philippines: formation and transformation in the 
20th century" (PDF). Journal of Tropical Forest Science. 13 (4): 652–670. 
3  Liu, D; L Iverson; S Brown (1993). "Rates asind patterns of deforestation in the Philippines: application 
of geographic information system analysis" (PDF). Forest Ecology and Management. 57 (1–4): 
1–16. doi:10.1016/0378-1127(93)90158-J. ISSN 0378-1127. 
April 12, 2021
10:11 am
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furtherance of the Bayanihan spirit of Filipinos, public participation must 
therefore be encouraged in order to protect and advance the right of the 
people to a balanced and healthful ecology. 
Accordingly, this representation intends to institutionalize regular 
quarterly 
tree 
planting 
activities 
in 
the 
country. 
It 
seeks 
a 
whole-of-government and a whole-of-nation approach in establishing a 
National Tree Planting Program that would not only engage all concerned 
government 
agencies, 
local 
government 
units, 
and 
environmental 
organizations, but most importantly the people to actively participate in tree 
planting activities for the preservation and conservation of our environment. 
The popular proverb “the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the 
second best time is now” can be taken in its literal sense at this instance. By 
compounding our joint efforts, surely after some decades, there will be an 
abundance of trees again for the future generation to enjoy and protect. 
Therefore, premises considered, the immediate passage of this bill is 
earnestly sought.  
ANGELO MARCOS BARBA 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
House Bill No. ______ 
Introduced by Rep. ANGELO MARCOS BARBA 
2nd District, Ilocos Norte
AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING QUARTERLY TREE PLANTING 
ACTIVITY IN THE PHILIPPINES, APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as “National 
Quarterly Tree Planting Act”. 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is the policy of the State to 
protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology 
in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature by encouraging people to 
actively participate in tree planting programs and activities for the 
preservation and conservation of our natural land resources. 
SECTION 3. National Tree Planting Program. – The Department of 
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), in coordination with the 
Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education 
(CHED), Civil Service Commission (CSC), Department of Interior and Local 
Government (DILG), Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the 
Philippines (AFP), and other relevant government agencies, shall establish 
and implement a National Tree Planting Program which shall mobilize all 
sectors of society to participate in nationwide tree planting activities to 
promote, protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced and 
healthful ecology.  
SECTION 4. Components of the National Tree Planting Program. – The 
Program shall be consistent with existing environmental protection laws and 
shall include the following; 
a. Volunteerism and participation of both public and private sectors;
b. Identification of underlying drivers of deforestation;
c. Formulation of strategic initiatives to identify ideal tree planting sites
and species;
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d. Operationalization of online, real-time updates of Tree Planting 
Programs and Activities; 
 
e. Generation of data for tree planting programs and activities, and other 
related statistics; 
 
f. Prompt submission of Tree Planting Participation Report and/or 
updates to include the number of volunteers, local government unit 
participation and total number of trees planted as well as its types; 
 
g. Strengthening reforestation and tree planting program information 
drive; and  
 
h. Periodic evaluation of the Program to effectively manage, address and 
reduce the threats of degradation of our natural resources and forests 
for the benefit of present and future generations. 
 
SECTION 5. Tree Planting Days. – National tree planting programs and 
activities shall be regularly held once every quarter without prejudice to the 
tree planting programs and activities of local government units, private 
individuals or entities. 
  
SECTION 6. Selection of Tree Planting Sites. – The DENR, in 
coordination with the DILG and all concerned local government units, shall 
select the sites for tree planting activities. 
 
SECTION 7. Selection of Tree types. – The DENR shall determine what 
types or kinds of trees are to be planted in a Tree Planting Site which will 
ultimately serve that best interest of the natural environment. 
 
SECTION 8. Role of Local Government Units. – All local government 
units (LGUs) shall monitor the conduct of tree planting activities and ensure 
the active participation of their constituents. The LGUs shall likewise submit 
to the DILG and DENR participation reports. 
 
SECTION 9. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within (6) months 
from the effectivity of this Act, the DENR, in consultation with the concerned 
government agencies and stakeholders, shall promulgate the rules and 
regulations of this Act. 
 
SECTION 10. Appropriations. – The amount necessary for the effective 
implementation of this Act shall be charged to the appropriations of the 
DENR under the General Appropriations Act (GAA). Thereafter, such sums as 
may be necessary for the continued implementation of this Act shall be 
included in the GAA. 
 
SECTION 11. Separability Clause. – If any provision of this Act is 
declared invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected by such 
declaration shall remain in full force and effect. 
 


SECTION 12. Repealing Clause. – Any provision of law, decree, order, 
rule or regulation inconsistent with this Act is hereby repealed and/or 
modified accordingly. 
 
SECTION 13. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general 
circulation. 
 
 
Approved,