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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 698 
Introduced by REP. JAVIER MIGUEL “JAVI” L. BENITEZ 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Presidential Proclamation No. 895, Series of 2005, declared the Northern 
Negros Forest Reserve a protected area to be known as the Northern Negros 
Natural Park (NNNP). The vast forest is home to 140 endemic bird species, 
including threatened and endangered species like the Negros Bleeding Heart 
Pigeon and the Visayan Tarictic Hornbill.  
Many areas within the NNNP can benefit from revenues from 
ecotourism activities, revenues that can fund biodiversity conservation and 
reforestation. 
The Gawahon Eco-Park, a 162-hectare forest land in Victorias City, is one 
of the areas within the NNNP that have great ecotourism potential. The local 
government of Victorias City first developed the area in 2000 and entered into 
a co-management agreement with the Department of Environment and Natural 
Resources (DENR) in 2004. Already, the Gawahon Eco-Park draws 8,000 
visitors annually.  
The local government of Victorias City has outlined plans to market the 
Gawahon Eco-Park as a birdwatching destination. Of the 140 endemic bird 
species documented within NNNP, 106 species have been spotted in the 
Gawahon Eco-Park, including the Southern Indigo-Banded Kingfihser, Flame-
Templed Babbler, Spotted Wood Kingfisher and Critine Canary Flycatcher. The 
Eco-Park also has an apiary, where native stingless bee species Tetragonula 
carbonaria, locally known as “takpal”, propagates and is source of organic 
honey. 
Victorias City is also aiming to make Gawahon Eco-Park a model for 
community-based tourism. The United Nations Development Programme 
defines community-based tourism as “a tourism management model that puts 
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local communities at the center of the process: tourism by the local communities 
for the benefit of the local communities themselves.” Illustratively, the City 
Government is partnering with the Victorias Integrated Social Forestry Farmers 
Association to implement an agritourism program. Victorias City is also set to 
ink a partnership with the University of the Philippines – Visayas to establish 
the Gawahon Park Research Station and Community Science Center which will 
capacitate locals to become citizen scientists and agents of biodiversity 
conservation. 
The City Government is committed to align development of the 
Gawahon Eco-Park with ecotourism standards and the community-based 
forest management strategy (CBFMS) of the DENR. Community engagement 
in the development of the Gawahon Eco-Park builds on a strong history of 
community-based tourism in the area. In fact, residents in the area had been 
granted Certificate of Stewardship Contract under the Integrated Social 
Forestry Program of the DENR, a precursor of CBFMS.  
Indeed, Gawahon Eco-Park is a prime example of sustainable tourism 
development – tourism that addresses “the needs of visitors, the industry, the 
environment and host communities.” But its continued success is predicated 
on adequate funding for biodiversity conversation, sustainable infrastructure 
and sustainable livelihood. Declaring the area as a tourist destination will 
mobilize resources for these crucial interventions.  
The return of investment in Gawahon Eco-Park is clear and certain. 
Investing in ecotourism will drive inclusive economic development in Victorias 
City but more importantly, investing in ecotourism is investing in the future, 
ensuring that future generations will benefit from the beauty and bounty of 
nature. 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate approval is earnestly sought. 
JAVIER MIGUEL L. BENITEZ 


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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 698 
Introduced by REP. JAVIER MIGUEL “JAVI” L. BENITEZ 
AN ACT DECLARING GAWAHON ECO-PARK LOCATED IN THE CITY OF 
VICTORIAS, PROVINCE OF NEGROS OCCIDENTAL A TOURIST 
DESTINATION, PROVIDING FOR ITS DEVELOPMENT AND 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. The Gawahon Eco-Park in the City of Victorias, Province 
of Negros Occidental, is hereby declared a tourist destination. As such, its 
development shall be prioritized by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and 
shall be subject to the rules and regulations governing the development of 
tourist destinations. 
SEC. 2. Within one (1) year after the approval of this Act, the DOT, in 
coordination with the local government of the City of Victorias and concerned 
agencies of the government, shall prepare a tourism development plan 
involving the construction, installation, and maintenance of appropriate 
infrastructure and facilities that shall enhance tourism in the area, including an 
information center, a view deck and a multipurpose hall: Provided, That said 
development plan shall ensure the preservation and conservation of the natural 
ecosystems and resources of the area: Provided, further, That any activities and 
developments to be carried out in the area should conform with the concept of 
ecotourism as provided in the national ecotourism strategy jointly issued by 
the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the DOT. 
SEC. 3. The DOT and its concerned attached agencies shall take 
immediate steps to implement the tourism development plan that will suit the 


 
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natural characteristics of Gawahon Eco-Park, and shall incorporate the same in 
its tourism development program for the ensuing calendar year. It shall also 
include Gawahon Eco-Park in all its national, regional and local promotion 
programs. 
 
SEC. 4. The Secretary of the DOT shall include in the Department’s 
program the implementation of this Act, the funding of which shall be included 
in the annual General Appropriations Act and from internally generated funds 
of the DOT. 
 
SEC. 5. The DOT shall transfer the management of the facilities to the 
local government of the City of Victorias within two (2) years after construction 
through a memorandum of agreement.  
 
SEC. 6. Within sixty (60) days from the effectivity of this Act, the 
Secretary of the DOT, in consultation with the local government of the City of 
Victorias, shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the proper 
implementation of this Act. 
 
SEC. 7. If any provision of this Act or any part hereof is declared 
unconstitutional, the same shall not affect the validity and effectivity of the 
other provisions. 
 
SEC. 8. All laws, rules, regulations, proclamations and executive orders, 
or parts thereof, contrary to or inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed 
or modified accordingly. 
 
SEC. 9. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in 
the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,