SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ;
First Regular Session )

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
House Bill No.4 578

Introduced by Representative Susan A. Yap

EXPLANATORY NOTE

On Apsil 12, 2004, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Proclamation No. 602
declaring as eco-tourism park and campsite @ certain parcel of land of the public domain located in
Barangays Lubigan and Motiones in the Municipality of San Jose, Province of Vatlac.

‘This bill secks the reclassification of the aforementioned parcel of land into agricultural land
open to disposition under the provisions of the Public Land Act. The reclassification of the land
previously declared as eco-tourism park and campsite into disposable agricultural land aims to
develop and promote sustainable economic development and tourism in the area, encouraging the
people to use, develop, manage, protect and conserve the environment and natural resources and
cultural heritage of Tarlac.

‘The reclassification is intended to stimulate private investments in the area such as eco-
tourism resort, parks, hotels, stores and restaurants. ‘This increase in economic and tourism activities
\yould result to better jobs'and higher income for the people in the area, and would hopefully result
to better conservation, preservation and enhancement of the natural resources and cultural heritage
in the eco-tourism park and campsite.

Such increase in economic and tourism activities would be very beneficial for a landlocked
province such as ‘Tarlac, whose primary economic activity has been dominantly agricultural and fish
production, The increase in tourism activities will surely complement any decline in agricultural
activities caused by current industrialization trend in the country, redounding to the benefit of Tatlac
and nearby provinces.

In view of the foregoing consideration, immediate approval of this bill is earnestly
recommended.

Representative, 2" Distr rovince of Tarlac


SIXTEENTH CONGRESS )

OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )

First Regular Session )
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

House BilNo,__49'78

Introduced by Representative Susan A, Yap

AN ACT
RECLASSIFYING AS AGRICULTURAL LAND OPEN TO DISPOSITION UNDER
THE PROVISIONS OF THE PUBLIC LAND ACT, AS AMENDED, THE LAND
EMBRACED IN PROCLAMATION NO. 602, DATED APRIL 12, 2004, DECLARING AS
ECO-TOURISM PARK AND CAMPSITE PURPOSES A CERTAIN PARCEL OF LAND
OF THE PUBLIC DOMAIN SITUATED IN BARANGAYS LUBIGAN, MORIONES
AND IBA IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF SAN JOSE, PROVINCE OF TARLAC

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

SECTION 1. Declaration and Scope. — A portion of the land embraced in Proclamation

No. 602, dated April 12, 2004, declaring as eco-tourism park and campsite purposes a certain parcel

ind Tba in the Municipality of

of land of the public domain situated in Barangays Lubigan, Motiones

San Jose, Province of Tarlac, is heteby reclassified as agricultural land open to disposition under the
provisions of the Public Land Act, as amended, which portion is more particularly described as

follows:

ac, Project No. 9, Block-B, Land
Classification Map No. 619, certified on October 18, 1926, situated in Barangays of

A parcel of land within Timberland, 1

Lubigan, Moriones and Iba in the Municipality of San Jose, Province of Tatlac.
Bounded on the NE by A & D, ISF areas and Kabuhayan 2000,, SE by A & D, ISF
areas., and NW by A & D and ISF areas beginning at a point marked 1 on the sketch
plan, Project 9-A, L.C. Map 1125 and Community Base Forest Management Project
of Timberland Tarlac project No. 9, Block-B, being N 08 deg. 12W.., 2,572.97 meters
from BLLM No. 22 Tarlac Cadastre, thence;

8.17 deg. 25° E., 681.26 m. to point 2;
N. 88 deg. 56°W., 540.09 m, to point 3;
8.51 deg. 59° W., 605.75 m. to point 4;
N. 37 deg. 21.W,, 205.51 m. to point 5;
N. 37 deg, 22 W., 176.02 m. to point 6;
N. 37 deg. 20° W., 151.97 m. to point 7;

N.71 deg. 49° W., 52.07 m. to point 8;


N. 71 deg, 45° W., 232.68 m. to point 9;

S. 86 deg. 24 W., 382.99 m. to point 105
N. 48 deg, 29° W., 22.76 m. to point 11;
N. 32 deg, 16 231.67 m. to point 12;
N. 64 deg. 15° W., 70.36 m. to point 13;
N. 84 deg, 55° W., 33.34 m, to point 145
S.73 deg. 19 W., 40.37 m. to point 15;
N, 28 deg. 35° W., 22.17 m. to point 16;
N, 26 deg, 24 W., 145.33 m, to point 17;
N.17 deg, 11 W., 46.53 m. to point 18;
N. 67 deg, 28° W,, 106.89 m. to point 19;
S, 82 deg, 55’ W., 116.72 m. to point 20;
N. 75 deg, 44 W,, 14.21 m. to point 21;
N. 48 deg, 03° W., 16.50 m. to point 225
N. 28 deg, 10° W., 87.27 m. to point 23;
S. 10 deg. 25° W., 70.57 m. to point 24;
S, 04 deg, 53° W., 76.12 m. to point 25;
N, 52 deg 35° W., 435.50 m. to point 26;
N. 19 deg, 00° W., 586.76 m. to point 27;
8. 76 deg, 48° W., 300.22 m. to point 28;
N. 66 deg. 31 W,, 264.25 m. to point 29;
N. 13 deg, 10° W,, 463.53 m. to point 30;
S.70 deg. 44 E., 3,586.32 m. to point of beginning,

containing an area OF TWO MILLION SEVEN HUNDRED SEVENTY THRE
THOUSAND ‘T'WO HUNDRED FIFTY -EIGHT (2,773,258 ) SQUARE

METERS.

SECTION 2. Disposition of Agricultural Land, - Any provisions of law to the contrary
notwithstanding, the disposition of parcels of the agricultural land declared in the previous section,
regardless of their actual use or identified purpose, the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) shall issue a free patent to any applicant who is citizen of the Philippines, giving
priority to the applicant who has continuously occupied and /or cultivated either by himself or
through his predecessor-in-interest or has paid real estate taxes for the tract or tracts of land being
applied for while the same has not been occupied by any other person, for at least three (3) years
prior to the approval of this Act, not to exceed twelve (12) hectares for each qualified applicant:
Provided, That prio to the disposition of any parcel to individual applicants, the DENR shall
segregate, alienate or reserve appropriate areas, consistent with the relevant provisions of

Commonwealth Act No. 141, as amended, otherwise known as “The Public Land Act”, and this


Act, suitable areas for (a) commercial, residential, tourism, or other similar productive purposes: (b)
educational, charitable or other similar purposes; or (¢) public or Quasi-public purposes such as, but
not limited to, municipal parks, roads and highways, municipal and barangay dump sites, communal
forests, hospitals and sites for offices of the national government and local government units
(LGUs): Provided, moreover, ‘That the identification of areas for public and quasi-public purposes shall
be undertaken jointly with the concerned government agencies or LGUs: Provided, finally, ‘That the
title/s over tracts of land for public and quasi-public purposes shall be in the name of the Republic
of the Philippines, except the area actually used, developed and managed by the provincial
government for campsite and ecotourism purposes, which shall be titled in the name of the Province

of Tarlac.

SECTION 3. Protection of Ecological Balance. ~ ‘the area described in Section 1 of this
Act is hereby excluded from the coverage of Section 16, areas needed for forest purposes of
Presidential Dectee No. 705 or the Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines, as amended: Prowded,
however, That the removal of timber and other forest products and utilization of other natural

resources in the said parcel of land shall be subject to existing forestry and other environmental

protection laws, rules and regulations: Provided, moreover, That twenty (20)-meter protection zone
along the banks of any river or stream, which has a width of at least fifty (50) meters, shall be
surveyed and delineated by the DENR on the ground and shall retain their classification as

forestland, prior to disposition of any parcel of agricultural land to private applicants.

SECTION 4. Implementing Rules and Regulations, ~ Within six (6) months from the
approval of this act, the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources shall promulgate the
necessary rules and regulations for its effective implementation. The provisions of the Public Land
Act pertaining to the distribution of Public Lands and issuance of land titles, insofar as they are not

inconsistent herewith, shall apply.

SECTION 5. Separability Clause ~ If any part of this section of this Act is declared
unconstitutional , such declaration shall not affect in any manner the other parts or sections of this
Act

SE

ION 6. Repealing Clause ~ Presidential Proclamation No.602, dated April 12, 2004
is hereby repealed. All other laws, decrees, proclamations or issuances contrary to or inconsistent

with provisions of this Act are hereby amended, repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 5. Effectivity — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its
publication in two (2) national newspapers of general circulation,

Approved,