Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila
Thirteenth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 153

Introduced by Honorable Constantino G. Jaraula

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Bill was filed with the 11° Congress as House Bill No, 3477 and with the 12"
Congress with House Bill No. 1188, with the following Explanatory Note:

“This bill seeks to mandate each city and municipality to create a River
Development Authority with the function of preserving, protecting and developing all the
rivers, river systems, and all natural waterways within its respective jurisdiction,

“The Philippines is recorded to have 421 principal rivers and 384 river systems
from the northernmost Province of Batanes to the southernmost Province of Tawi-Tawi.
A great number of them are gradually vanishing, many are dying, while others arc
suffering from physical, biological or chemical damage, some have simply died or
vanished. All these can be attributed to pollution, indifference and apathy to the
environment, ignorance, or simply human greed.

“The damage wrought on a river and its consequent death is not only a threat to
public health, it is a vivid and compelling symbol of a crumbling social order, a symptom
of a society under severe environmental and ecological stress. The blackness of its waters
mourns to death a community's civic responsibility. Its putrid stench is the smell of our
collective guilt- especially the guilt of those who primarily contributed to the violation of
its purity.

“For the record, most of the rivers suffering from physical, biological or chemical
degradation are located in the National Capital Region. In the Pasig River alone, it is
estimated that at least a total of 11 million gallons of industrial wastes are discharged into
the river per year. Rivers at the outskirts of Metro Manila and a great number in the
nearby provinces and suburban areas are also suffering from the same damage while
others, including those in the far-flung areas are heavily silted, caused by hasted erosion in
the highland and burning by kaingeros. In sum, our river, river systems, and natural
waterways are threatened by extinction and degradation.



“While a number of laws for the preservation and development of rivers have been
enacted, effective enforcement by local government units is weak due to the absence of a
local agency with which coordination can be made. What must be crested is an efficient
institutional machinery in each local government unit not only to implement such laws,
but also to promote development of rivers, river systems, and natural waterways.”

The Bill has not been enacted into law even as it secured le Committee
approval. The necessity of its passage by the 13 Congress is clear.

CONSTANTING JARAULA


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

Thirteenth Congress

First Regular Session
53

1
HOUSE BILL NO.
TS
Introduced by Honorable Constantino G. Jaraula

—_—

AN ACT
MANDATING EACH CITY AND MUNICIPALITY TO CREATE A RIVER
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY FOR THE PRESERVATION, PROTECTION,
AND DEVELOPMENT OF ALL RIVERS, RIVERSYSTEMS, AND NATURAL
WATERWAYS WITHIN ITS RESPECTIVE JURISDICTION, DEFINING ITS
POWERS AND FUNCTIONS, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR.

SECTION 1. Each city and municipality is hereby mandated to create a River
Development Authority, hereinafter referred to as the Authority, for the preservation,
Protection, and development of all rivers, river systems, and all natural waterways within
its respective jurisdiction.

SECTION 2. The authority shall execute the powers and functions herein vested
and conferred upon it in such manner as will, in its judgment, aid to the fullest possible
extent in carrying out the purposes set forth in this Act. It shall have the following
functions:

a) To prepare a master plan to preserve, protect, develop and exploit all rivers,
river systems, and natural waterways;

b) To conduct engineering surveys of rivers, river systems and natural waterways,
monitoring water quality, pinpointing pollution sources, and identifying the
rivers that need to be developed for exploitation, and to be rehabilitated:

©) To initiate and facilitate planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation
of pertinent projects with positive impact on environment and development,
including dredging and deepening of river channels and improvement of river
alignments,

4) To prioritize rivers positively identified for development and rehabilitation, and
on the basis thereof, prepare a river-specific plan of operation for the
development and rehabilitation and the general improvement of
environmentally degraded rivers;


¢) To initiate funding arrangements with local and foreign donors, including fund-
raising, to finance priority development projects and provide direct funding of
minor initiatives expected to create a positive impact on the environment in the

Projected area;

f) To develop information materials to ensure a high decree of environmental
awareness in government agencies, organization and the general public;

g) To make recommendations to the proper agencies offering financial support,
technical and physical assistance about the level of priority to be accorded river
‘systems development and rehabilitation projects,

h) To coordinate and integrate such projects or operations of local governments,
government agencies, public corporations and, where clearly necessary and
feasible, those of private entities, as will bear directly upon the plans and
activities of the Authority so as to make possible the accelerated and intensive
development and rehabilitation of the rivers, river systems and natural
‘waterways in the country within the context of the Master Plan and to set up a
compact and well-trained staff for effective liaison and consultation or joint
planning and implementation with such government and private entities;

i) To make a report annually to the Department of the Interior and Local
Governments (DILG) Secretary of its activities including those done in
collaboration with the various government and private entities engaged in the

for the year ending and the extent to which actual accomplishments measure up
to such targets, and the appropriate administrative and legislative

SECTION 3. (A) The Authority shall have a Board of Directors, composed of
eleven (11) members as follows:

1) City/ Municipal Council Chairman of the Committee on Environment and/or

Ecology

2) City/Municipal Council Minority Floor Leader

3) Chairman of the City/Municipal Council Commitice on Engineering

4) Chairman of the City/Municipal Council Committee on Appropriations

5) City/Municipal Engineer

6) City/Municipal Planning and Development Officer

7) City/Municipal Administrator

8) DENR

9) Three (3) members representing the private sector to be appointed by the
City/Municipal Mayor, on voluntary basis.

(B) The Chairman and Vice-Chairman shall be designated by the
City/Municipal Mayor.

(C) No member of the Board shall be financially interested, directly or
indirectly, in any contract entered into by the Authority or in any special privilege granted
by the Authority during his/her term. A violation hereof shall subject the guilty party to
removal from the Authority and/or such disciplinary action as the City/Municipal Council
deems fit


SECTION 4. The Board shall have the following powers and functions:

a) To formulate, prescribe, amend, and repeal the rules and reguiations to govern

the conduct of operations of the Authority,
b) To appoint the necessary staff of the Authority and to fix their compensation in
accordance with the existing laws;

©) To suspend, remove or otherwise discipline for just cause any staff member

appointed by the Board;

4) To recommend the snnual and/or supplemental budgets of the Authority;

e) To render annual reports to the DILG Secretary and to the City/Municipal
Mayor, and such special reports as may be requested, and

f) To do such other acts and perform such other fiumctions as may be necessary to

carry out the provisions of this Act.
SECTION 5. The Department of the Interior and Local Governments shall issue

the necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act.

SECTION 6. The amount necessary for the implementation of this Act shall be
bore by the respective local government units and carried in their budgets.

SECTION 7. All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof

inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly.
SECTION 8. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved,