Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

Fifteenth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILLNo. 1903

Introduced by Honorable Danilo Ramon S. Fernandez

EXPLANATORY NOTE

At the beginning of the Spanish colonial period (1565-1898), the
Philippines’ original forest cover, according to the data from the Department
of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), was placed at 27 million
hectares or 90 percent of the country’s total land area.

Sometime in 2002, the Global Agricultural Information Network of
the U.S. Department of Agriculture posted the Philippines’ forest at 5.2
million hectares or only around 18 percent of the country’s original forest
land area. It means that the country lost 82 percent of its forest.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations
(UN), in its 2003 report, “The State of the World’s Forests,” placed the
Philippines’ rate of deforestation at 1.4 percent or 89,000 hectares from 1990
to 2000.

Data and projections may have differed but there is but one common
denominator — the Philippine forest cover has significantly dwindled through
the years, and this can be attributed to increasing urbanization, commercial
and illegal logging, large-scale mining, agricultural expansion, and forest
fires to name a few.

Deforestation does not only cause the loss of natural habitats and
eventual extinction of the country’s various endangered species of plants and
animals. Deforestation is also identified as the major culprit in massive
floodings like the catastrophic Ondoy, river siltation, soil erosion, and
drought, all of which adversely and tragically affect the country.


If we are to save and eventually resuscitate the last forest lands that
we still have, comprehensive and rigorous measures should be taken to keep
pace with and hopefully overtake the accelerated rate of our forest
denudation. Thus, this bill proposes to mandate every city or municipality to
set aside one (1%) percent of its lands of the public domain for the
establishment and maintenance of a city or municipal forest park.

Thus, in line with the Constitutional mandate to protect and advance
the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology, and in accord
with the country’s thrust towards sustainable forest management and
development, the passage of this estly sought.

a —
DANILO RAMON S. FERN}



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

Fifteenth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILLNo.___ 1903

Introduced by Honorable Danilo Ramon S. Fernandez

AN ACT
MANDATING EACH CITY OR MUNICIPALITY TO SET ASIDE A
PORTION OF ITS TERRITORIAL JURISDICTION FOR FOREST
PARKS AND PROVIDING FOR THE MAINTENANCE THEREOF

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines
in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Forest Park. - Each city or municipality with available
lands of the public domain within its territorial jurisdiction is hereby
mandated to set aside one (1%) percent of the lands for the establishment
and maintenance of forest park.

SEC. 2. Local Seed Bank. — For the effective implementation of this
Act, each city or municipality shall maintain a seed bank from which the
local residents can draw seeds or saplings and learn proper planting
technology. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR), through the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), shall regularly

contribute to the local seed banks, identify the species of trees to be


distributed and determine the proper planting technology to be employed, in
consideration of the different topographies, climates, soil types and other
conditions in each city or municipality.

SEC. 3. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within sixty (60)
days after the effectivity of this Act, the Secretary of Environment and
Natural Resources shall formulate the necessary rules and regulations for the
implementation of this Act.

SEC. 4. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, executive orders,
proclamations, rules and regulations, and other issuances, or parts thereof
which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or
modified accordingly.

SEC. 5. Efffectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifieen (15) days
afier publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) national newspapers of

general circulation.

Approved,