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FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
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Introduced by Senator Villar 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
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OFFICI: OF:'>!. ·'.CCHETAI'lV 
"We, the sovereign Filipino people, imploring the aid of Almighty God, in order 
to build a just and humane society and establish a Government that shall 
embody our ideals and aspirations, promote the common good, conserve and develop 
our 
patrimony, and secure to ·ourselves and our posterity the blessings of 
independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth, 
justice,freedom, love, equality, and peace, do ordain and promUlgate this Constitution." 
-The Preamble, 1987 Philippine Constitution 
The preamble of the Constitution provides that we should establish a 
Government which shall "conserve and develop our patrimony." Our "patrimony" 
includes our public forests, mangroves, wildlife, and flora and fauna which should be 
conserved, protected and renewed. 
This bill is submitted honoring the Preamble of the 1987 Philippine Constitution. 
It is a mechanism to help the sustainable development of the Philippine environment. It 
provides for a classification and percentage allocation of public forests. Protected public 
forests are envisioned to comprise at least sixty percent of all public forests. Production 
forests are proposed to comprise hot more than twenty percent and agro-forestry 
projects to cover not more than twenty percent of public forests. It is estimated that 
there are about 15 million hectares of public forest land. 
The objective of this bill is to rehabilitate public forest lands and revert areas 
'presently denuded and eroded to become living thriving forest reserves. 
The dismal condition of our public forests today is a sad reflection of the wanton 
mistreatment and exploitative utilization we have inflicted on our forest resources. 
Ideally, our reforestation rate shoulc\ be at least five times our deforestation rate and 
should surpass deforestation within the next five years. 
This we can do by embarking on a massive reforestation program and 
rehabilitation of our forest lands. 
Immediate approval of this bill is highly recommended. 


FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
) 
) 
) 
SENATE 
S.B·1091 
Introduced by Senator Villar 
AN ACT 
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TO CONSERVE AND PROTECT PHILIPPINE PUBLIC FORESTS, MANGROVES 
AND WILDLIFE THROUGH A COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM OF 
RENEWAL, REPLANTING AND REFORESTATION, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate ,and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress Assembled: 
SECTION 1. Declaration of National Policy and Program Framework. - It is 
hereby declared the policy of the State to conserve, protect, and support the renewal 
program of public forests, mangroves and the wildlife. To these ends, the State hereby 
adopts the following comprehensive program frameworks: 
(a) The specific limits of public forests, national parks and other forest reserve 
areas, including mangroves with forest cover, shall be determined, by the 
Department of Environment and Natural Resources in consultation with 
various stakeholders including individuals, non-governmental organizations 
and public associations representing environmental management, 
local 
governments, academic community and others, Public consultations shall be 
conducted. 
(b) Public forests under lease andlor which have been denuded and deforested 
due to logging shall be reforested, with tree species of its original forested 
state or similar specie, and reclassified protection and conservation forest. 
(c) Mangroves without forest cover which have been utilized and .cut to the 
detriment of ecological balance and to the destruction of marine, air and other 
wildlife which take sanctuary shall be replenished with the mangrove and 
other species of plants aAd reseeded with the wildlife which would naturally 
be supposed to thrive therein. 
(d) Virgin forests and public parks and forest reserves declared as such shall in 
no case be opened for exploitation or reclassification and shall remain so 
unless otherwise declared'by law. 
(e) The protection of marine, air and wildlife, including the endangered species of 
Philippine fauna shall be the ultimate objective of the government. 
(f) Philippine flora, both natural to our forests and those which would enhance 
ecological balance and the productivity and aestbetic value of our public 
forests, shall be replanted and maintained in the public forests. 
(g) Areas of the public forests leased or tolerated for use for social forestry or 
agro-forestry shall be limited to the area and percentage of the total public 
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forests as may be indicated in the implementing rules and regulations that 
will be issued for the purpose. 
SECTION 2. Coordinating Council for the Conservation, Protection and 
Renewal of the Nation's Patrimony:. - There is hereby created a Coordinating Council 
for the Conservation, Protection and Renewal of the Nation's Patrimony. The Council 
shall be headed by the Secretary of Environmental and Natural Resources as 
Chairman, with the Undersecretaries of Agriculture and Food and of Education, Culture 
and Sports as Vice-Chairmen. The members shall include three (3) representatives 
from the; government sector and three (3) representatives from the private sector 
appointed by the President of the Philippines upon the recommendation of the 
Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources and from the list of nominees 
submitted by the sectors themselves. 
The Council shall formulate policies and develop projects to implement the 
national policy and program framework as defined in this Act, It shall also promulgate 
rules and regulations to carry out the purposes of this Act and adopt a code of services 
and guidelines to conserve, protect and renew the nation's patrimony. 
To assist the Council, the Chairman shall designate an Executive Secretary and a 
Secretariat from among the staff of the Department of Environment and Natural 
Resources, with such allowances as may be approved by the Council. The per diems 
and allowances of the Council shall be approved by the Council, subject to the existing 
rules and regulations and auditing arid accounting laws. 
SECTION 3. Reforestation and Renewal Program by the Youth. - Subject to 
such rules and regulations as the Council may promulgate, students and community 
youth below the age of twenty-five (25) years, shall be harnessed for the reforestation 
and renewal of public forests, mangrove and wildlife. Students who will render service 
as provided in this Act may be credited with the required units for the National Service 
Training Program. 
SECTION 4. Coordination with Agricultural and Fisheries Schools. Subject 
to such rules and regulations as the-Council may promulgate, agricultural and fisheries 
schools, both public and private, shall be encouraged to participate in the programs 
envisioned in this Act. 
SECTION 5. 
ComprehensiVe Program. 
In consultation with all stakeholders 
and various sectors comprising the entire agriculture and fisheries sectors, agro-
business and the concerned academic communities, a comprehensive program 
including the projects that may be supported by the Council shall be formulated to serve 
. as guide for the effective implementation of this Act. 
SECTION 6. Conservation, Protection and Renewal Fund. - There is hereby 
authorized the amount of One Milli0n Pesos (P1,000,000.00) for the operations of the 
Council, and Ten Million Pesos (P10,000,000.00) for the projects under this Act to 
conserve, protect and renew public, forests, mangroves, and the wildlife under the 
comprehensive program framework of this Act. 
Thereafter, the operating expenses of the Council and the projects planned and 
implemented under this Act shall be included in the budget of the Department of 
. Environment and Natural Resource!? as part of its annual appropriation. 
The Council may receive donations from national and international sources for 
the implementation of this Actor for a specific project or projects. 
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Donations received shall be placed in a trust fund for specific purposes and 
projects, as approved by the Couhcil, subject to existing auditing and accounting 
regulations-and the purposes of this Act. 
The program harnessing youth for reforestation shall be funded by project funds 
of the Councilor from donations earmarked for the purpose. 
SECTION 7. Separability Clause. - If any part of proviSion of this Act is held 
unconstitutional or invalid, other parts or provisions hereof which are not affected 
thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect. 
SECTION 8. Repealing Clause. - Any law, decree, rule, regulation, executive 
order or part thereof inconsistent with this Act is hereby repealed or modified 
accordingly. 
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SECTION 9. 
Effectivity. - This Act shall be effective upon its complete 
publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) national newspapers of general 
circulation, whichever comes earlier.' 
Approved, 
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