FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
Second Regular Session 
Introduced by Senator Manny Villar 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
It is the policy of the State to conserve the country’s wildlife 
resources and their habitats for sustainability. 
In the pursuit of this policy, 
Republic Act 9147 otherwise known as the Wildlife Resources Conservation and 
Protection Act of 2001 was enacted. One of the main purposes of this Act is to 
promote ecological balance and conserve biological diversity. 
The proposed bill aims to establish a botanical garden for the purpose of 
conducting research, experiments and expeditions that would explore, identify, 
propagate and cultivate different species of plants which can be used as 
medicine and for other purposes. Linkages with agricultural schools and other 
interested institutions shall likewise be established to promote and develop the 
study of botanical science. 


FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
Second Regular Session 
Introduced by Senator Manny Villar 
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE BlKOL BOTANICAL GARDEN IN THE 
PROVINCE OF CAMARINES SUR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
Philippines in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. There is hereby established, within the territorial jurisdiction 
of the Province of Camarines Sur, a botanical garden to be known as the "Bikol 
Botanical Garden". It shall occupy an area of at least fifteen (15) hectares and its 
facilities shall be built within landscaped spaces in order to create a park-like 
recreational environment dedicated to botanic research, experimental planting, 
collection of study specimens, and the teaching and dissemination of botanic 
knowledge. 
SEC. 2. The Bikol Botanical Garden shall have open-air plantings, living 
plant collections housed in greenhouses either for resources, teaching or 
seasonal public display, and herbarium houses for specimens. 
To the extent practicable as space and technical requirements may allow, 
the Bikol Botanical Garden may have an arboretum for trees and shrubs; a 
bamboo setum, pinetum; medicinal plants setum; flowering and ornamental 
plants setum; aquatic plants setum; palm setum; fernery; and orchidarium. The 
facilities shall be built within a five-year period, depending upon the availability of 
funds provided by the Provincial Government of Camarines Sur, national 
government assistance, and donations and grants from local or foreign sources. 
Satellite gardens may be established elsewhere in a municipality or city 
within the Province of Camarines Sur, either in an urban or rural setting or both, 
depending upon the type of soil, topography or climatic conditions required to 
cultivate or maintain plants intended or suitable for such satellite gardens, and 
depending upon such appropriate cooperative arrangements as may be agreed 
upon with the other local governments within the Province of Camarines Sur. 
SEC. 3. The buildings for its officials and staff, the library, and facilities for 
conferences, seminars, workshops and audio-visual presentations shall be built 
within a three-year period. 
SEC. 4. The Bikol Botanical Garden shall endeavor to maintain a system 
for the classification of plants for various utilitarian purposes; adopt a program for 
botanical expeditions to augment its collections; undertake studies 
and 
experiments on the commercial cultivation of otherwise wild species of certain 
plants; arrange for exchanges with other botanical gardens or collectors of plant 
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samples or specimens it may have or with other plants or specimens it seeks to 
have; cultivate medicinal plants found in the Bicol Region or elsewhere; and 
establish linkages with agricultural schools and other institutions interested in 
botanical science. 
SEC. 5. The Provincial Government of Camarines Sur shall, by purchase, 
or expropriation or by grant from the national government or through donation 
from other governmental or private philanthropic sources, provide or arrange to 
provide the lands suitable for establishing the Bikol Botanical Garden and any 
satellite gardens referred to in this Act. 
The Provincial Government of Camarines Sur shall provide the necessary 
capital outlays and operating expenses required to maintain the botanical garden 
to be established under this Act. 
SEC. 6. In the implementation of this Act, the Department of Environment 
and Natural Resources and other agencies of the national government shall 
extend technical assistance to the Provincial Government of Camarines Sur. 
SEC. 7. This Act shall take effect upon its approval 
Approved, 
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