FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Second Regular Session 
* ; ; .  
, 
S E N A T E  
Introduced by Senator Villar 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
"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 
o w  ideuls unduspirations, promote the common good conserve and develop our 
papiinony, und secure to ourselves and our poslerity 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 not more than twenty percent and ago-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 should 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. 


FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Second Regular Session 
S E N A T E  
Introduced by Senator Villar 
AN ACT 
TO 
CONSERVE 
AND 
PROTECT 
PHILIPPINE 
PUBLIC 
F(NUCSTS, . 
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 Assem bled: 
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 
vqiops stakehol+rs inpluding individuals, non-gavernmental organizqtioqs 
wcl publiq assqAatipns representing environmental mtmagemept, 
locd 
governments, academic community and others. Public consultations shall be 
conducted. 


(b) Public forests under lease and/or 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. 
(d) 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 
and reseeded with the wildlife which would naturally be supposed to thrive therein. 
(e) 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. 
(f) The protection of marine, air and wildlife, including the endangered species of 
Philippine fauna shall be the ultimate objective of the govememnt. 
(8) Philippine flora, both natural to our forests and those which would enhance 
ecological balance and the productivity and aesthetic value of our public forests, shall be 
replanted and maintained in the public forests. 
(h) 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 forests as may 
be indicated in the implementing rules and regulations that will be issued for the 
purpose. 
SEC. 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 Natual 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 and accounting laws. 
SEC. 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. 
SEC. 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. 
SEC. 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. 
SEC. 6. Conservation, Protection and Renewal Fund. - There is hereby authorized 
the amount of One Million Pesos (Pl,OOO,OOO.OO) for the operations of the Council, and 
Ten Million Pesos (PlO,OOO,OOO.OO) 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 Resources as part of its annual appropriation. 
The Council may receive donations from national and international sources for the 
implementation of this Act or for a specific project or projects. 
Donations received shall be placed in a trust fund for specific purposes and 
projects, as approved by the Council, 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 Council or from donations earmarked for the purpose. 
SEC. 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. 
SEC. 8. Repealing Clause. - Any law, decree, rule, regulation, executive order or 
part thereof inconsistent with this Act is hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 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,