TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
25 JUL 14 A1Q--52
SENATE
i:.'.
S. No.
488
Introduced by Senator Francis G. Escudero
AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE DELINEATION OF THE SPECIFIC FOREST LIMITS OF 
THE PUBLIC DOMAIN AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Section 4, Article XII of the 1987 Constitution states that "Congress shall, as 
soon as possible, determine by law, the specific limits of forest lands and national 
parks, marking clearly their boundaries on the ground. Thereafter, such forest lands 
and national parks shall be conserved and may not be increased nor diminished, 
except by law. The Congress shall provide, for such period as it may determine, 
measures to prohibit logging in endangered forests and watershed areas".
Based on the 2001-2003 satellite images reported by the National Mapping and 
Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), the total forest cover of the Philippines is 
estimated at 7.168 million hectares or 24.27% of the country's total land area. The 
lack of demarcation on the ground, however, caused confusion as to the actual size 
of the forest lands of the country and consequently resulted in incorrect land use and 
management.
This proposed legislation seeks to delineate the specific limits of forest lands, 
in order to conserve, protect and develop the forest resources of the country and 
ultimately, attain ecological balance, preserve valuable ecosystems, prevent 
environmental degradation and promote sustainable development for the present and 
future generations.


This bill was reported out in the Fifteenth Congress as Senate Bill No. 3326 
under Committee Report No. 464 and was approved on Second Reading. In the 
Twentieth Congress, the bill is once again respectfully submitted for approval.
FRANCIS G.ESCUDERO


1
2
4
5
6
7
8 
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
25 JUL 14 
-52
SENATE
R'" ,
S. No.
488
Introduced by Senator Francis G. Escudero
AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE DELINEATION OF THE SPECIFIC FOREST LIMITS OF 
THE PUBLIC DOMAIN AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known and cited as the "Final Forest 
Limits Act".
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to conserve, protect 
and develop the forest resources of the country in order to attain ecological balance, 
preserve valuable ecosystems, prevent environmental degradation and promote 
sustainable development for the present and future generations. To achieve these 
ends. Section 4 of Article XII of the 1987 Constitution mandates Congress to determine 
by law the specific limits of forestlands and national parks marking clearly their 
boundaries on the ground.
Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act:
{a) Agricultural Land shd\\ refer to alienable or disposable lands of the public 
domain which have been the subject of the land classification system and declared as 
not needed for forest purposes;
(b) Delimitation Survey shall refer to the establishment of land classification 
boundaries, and the documentation thereof following ground survey;
(c) Delineation shall refer to the conduct of site investigation, field 
reconnaissance and assessment, and staking of boundaries between forest lands.


1 
national parks and agricultural lands verified In the field in accordance with the criteria
2 
set forth under Administrative Order No. 24 s.2008 issued by the Department of
3 
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR);
4 
{6) Forest shall refer to an ecosystem or an assemblage of ecosystems
5 
dominated by trees and other woody vegetation; a community of plants and animals
6 
interacting with one another and its physical environment;
7 
(e) Forest Landsh^W refer to all lands of the public domain already classified as
8 
forest land as per existing land classification maps issued by the DENR including all
9 
permanent forest reserves proclaimed as such by the President or declared by law,
10 
and such areas within the unclassified lands of the public domain that were assessed
11 
and delineated by the DENR in accordance with pertinent laws, rules and regulations;
12 
(f) Production Forest shall refer to a forest area designated primarily for
13 
production of wood, fiber, bio-energy and/or non-wood forest products;
14 
(g) Protected Area shall refer to identified portions of land and/or water set
15 
aside by reason of their unique physical and biological significance, managed to
16 
enhance biological diversity and protected against destructive human exploitation;
17 
(h) Protection ForestshaW refer to a forest whose value lies in the regulating of
18 
stream flow and the preventing of erosion and avalanches rather than in its timber;
19 
(i) Protection Forestlands shaW refer to all areas within the forestlands devoted
20 
primarily for the protection, conservation of forest resources to ensure environmental
21 
stability, conservation of biological diversity, improvement of ecosystem functions and
22 
services, and provision of ecological and economic benefits. It shall also include all
23 
mossy and primary/old growth forests and natural beach, key biodiversity areas, areas
24 
regardless of slope and vegetation cover which are highly erodible or too rocky for
25 
establishment of either production forests, developed for the principal objectives of
26 
establishing vegetative cover to prevent erosion, conserve water and nurture wildlife,
27 
freshwater, swamps, and marshes, all areas along the bank of the rivers and streams,
28 
and the shores of the seas and lakes throughout their entire length and within the
29 
zone of three (3) meters in urban areas, twenty (20) meters in agricultural areas, and
30 
forty (40) meters in forest areas, along their margins which are subject to the
31 
easement of public use in the interest of recreation, settlements, navigation, floatage,
32 
fishing and salvage shall also be sub-classified as protection forestlands: Provided,


1 
That such delineation shall observe the relevant provisions of Republic Act No. 8371,
2 
otherwise known as the "Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997," and Republic
3 
Act No. 7586, as amended, otherwise known as the National Integrated Protected
4 
Areas System (NIPAS) Act; and
5 
(j) Tenured Migrant shall refer to forest occupants who have actually and
6 
continuously occupied a portion of the forest and is solely dependent therein for
7 
subsistence. A forest occupant is understood to be solely dependent for subsistence
8 
when everything indispensable survival of his or her household, including food,
9 
clothing, shelter and health, comes only from the utilization of resources from the
10 
forest.
11 
Sec. 4. Composition of Forest Lands. - The following shall constitute the forest
12 
lands, to wit:
13 
(a) All lands of the public domain already classified as forest land as per existing
14 
land classification maps issued by the DENR;
15 
(b)AII permanent forest reserves proclaimed as such by the President or
16 
declared by law; and
17 
(c) Such areas within the unclassified lands of the public domain that were
18 
assessed and delineated by the DENR in accordance with pertinent laws, rules and
19 
regulations and which may hereafter be classified as forest land by the DENR.
20 
Sec. 5. Guideiines in Determining the Specific Limits of Forest Lands. - The
21 
following guidelines and procedures shall be followed in determining the specific limits
22 
of forest lands in the country:
23 
(a) The previously-established Land Classification (LC) survey lines per province
24 
with their respective technical descriptions (TDs) and maps shall be the basic data and
25 
information that will be used as reference material in undertaking the validation,
26 
assessment and delineation process;
27 
(b) All completed assessment and delineation reports for a given province shall
28 
be endorsed to the National Review and Evaluation Committee as created herein to
29 
be headed by the Secretary of the DENR for final approval; and
30 
(c)The same process shall be followed for other provinces with on-going
31 
assessments and delineation activities until such time that all the boundaries of forest


1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
lands of the whole country shall have been delimited: Provided, That all assessments, 
validations and delineations shall be completed not later than one (1) year after the 
passage of this Act.
Sec. 6. Creation of the Nationai Review and Evaiuation Committee. - In 
recognition of the mandate as embodied in Section 4, Article XII of the Constitution, 
and in view of the urgent need to establish the permanent limits of the forest lands of 
the country, a National Review and Evaluation Committee is hereby created to process, 
evaluate and approve all completed assessment and delineation reports referred to in 
the immediately preceding section. The Committee, in its evaluation and approval of 
the said reports, shall adhere strictly to existing established laws, policies, rules, 
regulations and guidelines pertinent thereto. The Committee shall be composed of the 
following:
(a) 
Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources as Chairperson;
(b) 
Secretary of Economy, Planning, and Development as Vice-Chairperson;
(c) 
Secretary of the Interior and Local Government as Member;
(d) 
Secretary of Agriculture as Member;
(e) 
Secretary of Agrarian Reform as Member;
(f) 
Secretary of Human Settlements and Urban Development as Member;
(g) 
Chairperson of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) 
as Member; and
(h) President of the League of Provinces of the Philippines as Member.
Upon approval of the assessment and delineation reports as herein specified, 
the Committee shall submit the same to Congress which shall thereafter form part of 
its official records. The assessment and delineation report as approved by the 
Committee shall be adopted as constituting the final boundaries of the forest lands 
covered by the said report.
Sec. 7. Demarcation and Deiimitation of Forest Land Boundary. - Immediately 
after the determination of the forest line in accordance with the guidelines prescribed 
in Section 5 of this Act, the DENR shall delimit and establish the permanent boundary 
monuments on the ground.


1 
Sec. 8. Permanency of the Specific Forest Limits. - The permanent forest lands
2 
established pursuant to this Act shall not be diminished nor reduced except by an Act
3 
of Congress. The DENR, in coordination with all agencies and branches of government,
4 
shall see to it that the forest cover and vegetation therein shall be protected, preserved
5 
and enhanced.
6 
Sec. 9. Subciassification of the Permanent Forest Lands. - The permanent
7 
forest lands shall be further sub-classified as follows: (a) protection forests; and (b)
8 
production forests.
9 
After due consultation with the local government units (LCDs), concerned
10 
communities, and other stakeholders, the DENR shall undertake the subclassification
11 
of the permanent forest lands.
12 
Sec. 10. Recognition of the Rights of the Indigenous Cuiturai
13 
Communities/Indigenous Peopies and Tenured Migrant Communities. - In the ground
14 
delineation of the permanent forest limits, the occupation by indigenous cultural
15 
communities/indigenous peoples and tenured migrants shall be recognized and
16 
respected consistent with the provisions of Republic Act No. 7160 or the Local
17 
Government Code of 1991, Republic Act No. 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples Rights
18 
Act (IPRA) of 1997, and Presidential Decree No. 705, as amended, or the Forestry
19 
Code of 1975.
20 
Sec. 11. Accessibiiity of Record to the Public. - All records and information
21 
pertaining to the specific forest limits delineated pursuant to this Act shall be made
22 
available to all LGUs, other government agencies, and to the general public.
23 
Sec. 12. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting System. - To attain the
24 
objectives of this Act, a field monitoring, evaluation, and reporting system shall be
25 
adopted by the DENR to regularly keep track of the state of the country's forest lands
26 
after their delimitation. Toward this end, at the opening of each session of Congress,
27 
the DENR shall submit a report to the President on the status of the forest lands for
28 
transmission to Congress.


1 
Sec. 13. Creation of the Adjudication Board to Resoive Land Ciassification
2 
Conflicts. - A Land Classification Conflict Adjudication Board, herein referred to as the
3 
Board, is hereby created to resolve controversies arising from land classification as a
4 
result of the delimitation of forest lands pursuant to this Act. The Board shall be
5 
composed of the following:
6 
(a) Secretary of Justice as Chairperson;
7 
(b) Administrator of the Land Registration Authority as Member;
8 
(h) Representative from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) as Member;
9 
(c) Representative from a reputable College of Forestry as Member; and
10 
(d) Representative from the private sector as Member.
11 
Sec. 14. Powers and Functions of the Adjudication Board. - The Board shall
12 
exercise the following powers and functions:
13 
(a) Adjudicate cases on land conflicts and adverse claim before the Board for
14 
resolution;
15 
(b) Summon witnesses, administer oaths, take testimony and require
16 
submission of reports;
17 
(c) Compel production of books and documents and answers to
18 
interrogatories; and
19 
(d) Issue subpoena duces tecum, writs of possession, writs of execution and
20 
other writs to enforce Its orders and decisions.
21 
In any proceeding before the Board, the Rules of Evidence prevailing in courts
22 
of law or equity shall not be controlling and it is the spirit and intention of this Act that
23 
shall govern. The Board shall use every and all reasonable means to ascertain the
24 
facts in each case speedily and objectively and without regard to technicalities of law
25 
or procedure, all in the Interest of due process. In any proceeding before the Board,
26 
the parties may be represented by legal counsel. The findings of fact of the Board
27 
shall be conclusive and binding on the parties and its decision or order shall be final
28 
and executory.


1 
Sec. 15. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the implementation of this
2 
Act shall be charged against the current year's appropriations of the DENR. Thereafter,
3 
such sums as may be necessary for the effective implementation of this Act shall be
4 
included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
5 
Funds for the implementation of the provisions of this Act shall be
6 
supplemented also from any available official development assistance (ODA) and from
7 
joint projects between agencies of the Philippines and an assisting country.
8 
Counterpart funding may also be allocated by LGUs concerned to be sourced
9 
from their respective National Tax Allotment and other LGU income for the delineation
10 
of the forest limits within their respective territorial jurisdictions.
11 
Sec. 16. Impiementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90) days from
12 
the effectivity of this Act, the DENR, in coordination with the Department of
13 
Agriculture; Department of Agrarian Reform; Department of Economy, Planning, and
14 
Development; Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development;
15 
Department of the Interior and Local Government; Department of Justice; NCIP; and
16 
League of Provinces of the Philippines, shall issue the corresponding Implementing
17 
Rules and Regulations for the effective implementation of this Act.
18 
Sec. 17. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is declared
19 
unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act or any provision not affected thereby shall
20 
remain in full force and effect.
21 
Sec. 18. Repealing Clause. - All laws, acts, decrees, executive orders,
22 
issuances, and rules and regulations or parts thereof which are contrary to and
23 
inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.
24 
Sec. 19. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
25 
publication in the Official Gazette or at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
26 
Approved,