FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
) 
) 
) 
SENA'l:£ "" 'J) -
S.B. No. ~I.l) {)) 
Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
'10 
DEC 20 P 1 :51 
The vital role of trees - in the midst of recurring landslides, loss of soil cover, 
water deficiency in watershed areas, soil erosion, loss of biodiversity and essential 
ecosystems as well as global warming, among others - is still not given the attention, 
much less the protection it rightly dcrserves from Government. 
Data from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 
Forest Management Bureau (FMB) and the National Mapping and Resources 
Information Authority (NAMRIA) showed that of the country's total land area of about 
30 million hectares, our forest cover is only 7.2 million hectares. The ideal should be at 
least 12 million hectares or 48% of the total land area. 
Records also showed that annual forest losses reached 157, 000 ha or 2.1 percent 
reduction between 2000 and 2005, making the Philippines one of the Top 10 deforested 
countries in the world. 
The DENR admits that efforts to rehabilitate the natural forest and success in 
reforestation projects have been limited. Out of 1.8 million ha reforested between 1960 
and 2005, only 330,000 ha of plantations have remained. 
This measure seeks to empower the youth, as effective catalysts for change as 
well as the academe, as the best medium to disseminate information, as they adopt or 
create forest sanctuaries or gardens both in urban areas as well as in the countryside. 
With more than twelve million students in the public school sector planting trees the 
whole year round, the country's forests can surely be revived in the shortest time 
possible. 
Sensing the precarious situation of our forests and the urgency of persuading the 
community of nations to take a proactive stance to protect and revive our forests 
towards sustainable development, the United Nations General Assembly has also 
declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests. In light of these developments in the 
international arena, the immediate passage of this measure is sought. 
Senator 


FIFI'EENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES' 
First Regular Session 
) 
) 
) 
SENATE 
S.B. No. 2 8 3 0 
Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda 
'10 
DEC20 Pl:51 
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR URBAN AND COUNTRYSIDE GREENING IN THE 
PHILIPPINES THROUGH MANDATORY TREE PLANTING AND ADOPTION OF 
A FOREST SANCTUARY BY PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
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SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Forest Sanctuaries Act of 
2 
2011." 
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SEc:. 2. Declaration of Policy. - Recognizing the vital role of trees and plants in 
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ecological stability, it is hereby declared the national policy to ensure sufficient greenery 
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in urban and countryside areas and to promote the right of the people to a balanced and 
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healthy ecology. 
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SEc:. 3. Scope. - This Act shaH apply to all barangays, municipalities, cities and 
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provinces, particularly in all public parks and public school grounds in urban and rural 
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areas; idle public lands, unless otherwise identified to be used for other purposes; and 
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privately-owned land whose proprietors voluntarily subject their properties to the 
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provisions of this Act, upon the creation of appropriate agreements with the schools 
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implementing this Act. 
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SEC. 4. Objectives. - Pursuant to the policy declared herein, it is the objective of 
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this Act: 
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(a) To build, adopt, develop and maintain forest parks or sanctuaries by public 
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elementary and secondary schools; " 
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(b) To require the planting of trees and shrubbery as well as provision of 
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financial, physical and technical support by national agencies and local government 
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units; 
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(c) To promote environmental consciousness by encouraging active participation 
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in tree-planting activities in the community, especially among students, youth, other 
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civic action groups, and the academe; and 
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(d) To protect trees from harmful human activity and increase the country's 
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forest covelr. 
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SEC. 5. National Forest Sanctuary Committee - A National Forest Sanctuary 
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Committee is hereby created with the Secretary of the Department of Education 
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(DepEd) as Chairman and the respective secretaries of the Department of Environment 
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and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Interior 
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and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) as members. 
3 
The National Forest Sanctuary Committee shall promulgate the pertinent rules 
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and regulations as may be necessary to fully implement the objectives and purposes of 
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this Act not later than ninety (90) days after the approval of this Act. 
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The National Forest Sanctuary Committee shall convene every quarter to hear 
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the reports, or performance from the Regional Committees. 
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SEC. 6. Specific Functions of the Executive Department. The DENR shall provide the 
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technical, scientific, and physical support in: 1) determining of the suitable species of 
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trees and provision of seeds or saplings to be planted in existing forest/mangrove 
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sanctuaries or areas where a forest/ mangrove sanctuary or urban garden is to be 
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established; 2) classifying and determining of existing forest/mangrove sanctuaries, 
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proposed forest/mangrove sanctuaries and urban gardens; and 3) tree-planting 
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activities. 
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The Local Government Units (LGUs) : The LGUs shall (1) In partnership with the 
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DENR and DA, aid in the detE!rmination of suitable areas for the proposed 
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forest/mangrove sanctuaries/urban gardens; (2) Mobilize all concerned local agencies 
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and communities to ensure prompt and effective implementation of this Act in all 
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public schools within their jurisdiction; (3) Mobilize non-government organizations, 
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foundations and other private entities or corporations to provide financial, physical or 
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other kinds of support for the implementation of this Act; and (4) Effect the 
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apprehensiion for the consequent prosecution of all persons violating the penal 
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provisions of this Act; 
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The DILG shall coordinate all local government units to ensure prompt and 
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effective implementation of this Act;' 
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The DOT shall assist in the conceptualization and site-evaluation and cooperate 
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in the maintenance or creation of forest/mangrove sanctuaries and urban gardens and 
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provide additional funding from its ~esources; 
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The DA shall aid in determination of suitable areas for the proposed 
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forest/marlgrove sanctuaries/urban gardens and provide the technical and scientific 
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support i.e, the necessary tools, equipment, and manpower to effect the implementation 
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of this Act; and 
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The DepEd, as lead agency of this Act, shall coordinate all tree-planting activities 
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of all public elementary and high schools and integrate the tree-planting activities into 
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the school curriculum to promote environmental consciousness. It shall also undertake 
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relevant projects for the promotion of these activities. 
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SEC. 7. Tree-planting Guidelines - Tree planting in duly qualified areas shall 
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comply with the following guidelines: 
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(1) Considering the classificat{on and condition of the soil and the total land area 
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of the site, suitable species of forest trees or fast-growing trees shall be planted in the 
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identified a.reas; 
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(2) In cases where multiple trees can be planted, the trees should be planted in 
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clusters not more than four (4) meters apart from one another; 
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(3) The DepEd and DENR shall facilitate and supervise all the tree-planting 
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activities and the consequent maintenance of the same within its jurisdiction. The 
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government agencies concerned shall perform their duties and responsibilities as 
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indicated in Section 6 of this Act. 
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SEC, 8. Prohibited Acts - All forest/mangrove parks or sanctuaries or urban 
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gardens eEitablished under this Act shall be protected and maintained by all concerned 
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public schools, the DENR, DepEd and other government agencies, and local 
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governments. These forest/ mangro~e sanctuaries shall not be cut or destroyed, except 
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when the wtting and destroying of the same is necessary for public safety. 
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SEC. 9. Penalties - Any person found guilty of violating Section 8 of this Act shall 
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be punished with imprisonment of not less than six (6) months to not more than one (1) 
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year or a fine of not less than Thret: Thousand Pesos (P3,OOO.OO) to not more than Ten 
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Thousand Pesos (Pl0,000.00), or both imprisonment and fine, at the discretion of the 
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court. 
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SEC. 10. Submission of Reports. The National Forest Sanctuary Committee shall, 
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within ninety (90) days after the approval of this Act, submit periodic reports to both 
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houses of Congress of the Philippines. 
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SEC. 11. Funding - The fund needed for the implementation of this Act shall be 
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taken from any available appropriation in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of the 
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year of its implementation; Provided, that funds for this purpose shall also be included 
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in every annual GAA; Provided furt/;ler, that there shall be equitable and proportionate 
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approprialions of funds annually for this purpose for all barangays, municipalities, 
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cities and provinces. In addition, ad~quate portions of financial grants and concessional 
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loans extended by foreign govern,ments and multilateral agencies every year, the 
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amount to be determined by the President, shall be allocated to augment the annual 
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approprialions until this Act is fully implemented. 
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SEC. 12. Separability Clause. All laws, decrees, rules and regulations, or parts 
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thereof inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
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SEC. 13. Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect upon its publication in at 
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least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved" 
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