FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
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8 JUN 11 P321 
INTRODUCED BY HONORABLE MAR ROWS 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The country’s declining forest cover and the slow but steady degradation of our 
watersheds significantly imperils the country’s water supply resources. Watersheds play an 
important role in the production of sufficient quantity of water of acceptable quality. It 
serves both as a water supply and water distribution system. Of the 2,599,629 hectares of 
protected area in our country, 1,153,629 hectares comprise of watershed forest reserves. 
Sadly however, we have neglected to supply the necessary care and management for our 
watershed resources. 
The logging and felling of trees in watershed areas is one major factor that has 
contributed to the degradation of our watershed resources. The expansion of commercial 
vegetation aggravates the situation as this loosens the soil, making it more vulnerable to 
slides, erosion and siltation. These, coupled with the rampant conversion of forest lands 
situated on watersheds for commercial purposes, which are eventually cleared to make way 
for industrial estates or golf courses constitute an extremely high cost to social welfare and 
have to be stemmed with the appropriate sanctions. 
This measure thus seeks to define the offense of illegal logging in watersheds and 
other protected areas, as an added safeguard for the protection and conservation of watershed 
resources, and accordingly prescribes the appropriate penalties. It further prohibits the illegal 
conversion of watershed areas for farming and other agricultural activities, as well as for 
commercial and industrial uses so as not to encroach on watershed forests reserves. 
Our trees and forests are critical to the proper function of watersheds, and is an 
important determinant of water quality. Indeed, one of the most important and vital forest 
products is the supply of clean water. For this reason alone, it is incumbent upon us to 
establish measures that protect and preserve our watershed resources. 
In view of the foregoing, early passage of this bill is earnestly requested 


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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
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8 JUb! 11 P3 2 3  
S. B. No. 
INTRODUCED BY HONORABLE MAR R O U S  
AN ACT 
DEFINING THE PROHIBITED ACTS IN WATERSHED RESERVATIONS AND 
PROTECTED AREAS AND PROVIDING PENALTIES THEREFOR. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives ofthe Philippines in Congress 
assem bled: 
SECTION 1. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State to 
protect, conserve and develop water resources for human consumption, irrigation, hydro- 
electric power generation, inland fisheries, bio-diversity and for other beneficial purposes. 
To these ends, the State shall implement measures that will bring an end to all activities 
contributory to the depletion of water resources and the degradation of watersheds. 
SECTION 2. IIIegal Logging in Watersheds and Protected Areas. - It is hereby 
declared unlawful for any person, natural or juridical, to cut or fell trees for any purpose 
whatsoever in any watershed reservation and protected areas. 
SECTION 3. IIlegal Conversion of Watersheds and Protected Areas. - Any person, 
natural or juridical, shall not use any part or portion of a watershed reservation and protected 
area as farmland, grazing lands or for any other agricultural purposes; nor shall any part or 
portion of a watershed forest reserve and protected area be converted for commercial, 
residential or industrial purposes. 
SECTION 4. Penalties. - Violation of Sections 2 and 3 hereof shall be punished with 
reclusion temporal. No mitigating circumstance whatsoever shall be appreciated in favor of 
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the offender, In addition to the prison term, the offender shall indemnify the Republic of the 
Philippines in an amount ten (10) times the value of the illegally cut trees. If the offender is a 
corporation, partnership or other juridical person, the Chief Executive Officer thereof, 
whether Chairman, President or General Manager, shall be criminally liable in the 
commission of the offense penalized under this Act. If the crime herein mentioned is 
committed by a public officer, he shall, in addition to the foregoing penalties, be perpetually 
disqualified from holding public office. 
SECTION 5. Suspension oflicenses. - Upon the filing of the necessary information in 
court, the government prosecutor shall, if the offender is a corporation, partnerships or other 
juridical person to whom a license agreement, lease or permit to utilize forest resources 
within any forest land has been granted, forward a copy of the information to the 
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Upon receipt thereof, DENR 
shall immediately cause the suspension of the license agreement, lease or permit, as the case 
may be, of the offender until termination of the criminal case. In case the offender is 
acquitted, the suspension shall be ordered lifted, Otherwise, the license, lease or permit shall 
be ordered cancelled. 
SECTION 6. Forfeiture of the Instruments of the Crime. - Any tool, equipment or 
vehicle used in the cutting and transport of the illegally cut trees, as well as in clearing the 
watershed forest and protected area for roads and construction shall be automatically 
forfeited in favor of the government. 
SECTION 7. Separability Clause. - If for any reason, any portion or provision of this 
Act is declared unconstitutional or invalid, such parts not affected thereby shall remain in 
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full force and effect 
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Approved, 
SECTION 8. Repealing Clause. - All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, 
issuances, rules and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with 'the provisions of this Act 
are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
SECTION 9. Efkcriviy. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation whichever comes earlier. 
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