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THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE } 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES } 
Third Regular Session 
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S E N A T E  
I
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S. No. 
(In substitution of H. No. 4 
Prepared jointly by the Committees on Environment and Natural Resources, Local Government, and 
Finance, with Senator Cayetano and the members of the Committees as authors 
AN ACT 
DECLARING THE AGUSAN MARSH IN THE PROVINCE OF AGUSAN DEL 
SUR AS A PROTECTED AREA AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Represenfafives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. 
Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Agusan Marsh Wildlife 
Sanctuary Act of 2006". 
SEC. 2. Land Classificafion. - All lands of the public domain comprising the Agusan 
Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary shall fall under the classification of National Park as provided for in 
the Philippine Constitution. However, public lands already classified as agricultural and 
alienable or disposable prior to the passage of this Act shall remain as such and may be 
disposed of pursuant to the provisions of Commonwealth Act No. 141 or the Public Land Act, 
as amended. 
SEC. 3. Scope. - The Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the municipalities 
of Talacogon, San Francisco, Rosario, Bunawan, Loreto and Lapaz, all in the Province of 
Agusan del Sur, and covers a total area of forty thousand eight hundred sixty-eight (40,868) 
hectares, more particularly described as follows: 
CORNER 
LONGITUDE 
LATITUDE 
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125" 49'04.79 
8" 23'42.52" 
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125" 4812.00 
8" 25'04.99 
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125" 47'45.61" 
8" 25'27.43 
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125" 46'53.1 1" 
8" 25'26.43 
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125" 46'05.20 
8" 25'00.65" 
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125" 44'49.4.7" 
8" 24'26.12" 


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125' 45'43.53" 
125'46'23.31" 
125" 46'35.47" 
125" 47'14.00 
125"48'16.02" 
125" 4835.62" 
125" 52'15.30" 
125" 52'12.24" 
125" 54'03.a3" 
125" 4a'12.00" 
125" 54~i6.ag'- 
125" 55'42.a3" 
125" 5 6 z ~ a 3 "  
125" 55'32.73" 
125" 56'45.39" 
125" 55'52.45" 
125" 55'06.62" 
125" 54'44.48" 
125' 54'49.22" 
125" 56'56.36" 
125" 57'40.79" 
125" 57'16.33" 
125" 5636.83 
125- 565a.78" 
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25" 58333.3433 
125" 56'13.01" 
125" 55'27.53" 
125" 55'22.90 
125- 55'25.9a" 
125- 55'05.0a" 
125" 54'59.50" 
125" 55'06.25 
125" 56'42.60 
125" 55'17.aa" 
125" 55'20.34" 
125" 56'51.60" 
125" 57'0a.70" 
125' 56'07.40 


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125' 55'40.71" 
125" 54'53.29" 
125" 55'02.79 
125" 54'59.01" 
125" 54'46.68" 
125" 54'45.83" 
125" 54'34.49" 
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125" 51 '47.48 
125" 51'17.87" 
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125" 50'32.40" 
125" 50'18.71" 
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8" 08'09.85" 
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O
 08'36.84" 
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8" 091 1.63" 
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8" 08'1 0.1 5" 
8" 07'52.51" 
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8' 07'32.20 
8" 07'26.21" 
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8'07'31.73" 
8" 07'46.84 
8" 08'09.03" 
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8" 09'29.74" 
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8" 0949.88" 
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8" 10'28.27 
8" 10'54.15" 
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8" 11'12.20'' 
8' 11'12.06'' 
8" 11'16.37" 
8" 11'36.52 
8' 12'03.88" 
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8" 12'46.53" 
8" 12'56.01" 
8" 15'00.30" 
8" 15'03.84" 
8' 15'45.76" 
8" 16'1 1.78" 


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125" 50'1 9.09'' 
8" 16'37.70" 
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8O 19'13.68" 
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125"48'30.19 
8" 20'26.87" 
Any modification to the protected area (PA) boundary due to factors such as changing 
ecological situations, new scientific or archaeological findings, or discovery of traditional 
boundaries shall be made through an act of Congress, after full consultation with the 
affected public and concerned government agencies. 
Considering the character of Agusan Marsh as a catch basin, this section shall not 
preclude the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB), created in Section 6 herein, or the 
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) from taking appropriate action 
outside the PA to prevent any adverse effects thereto such as, but not limited to, wastes 
from industries and run-offs from all areas that feed into the Agusan Marsh. 
SEC. 4. Definition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act, the following terms are defined 
as follows: 
(a) "Ancestral domainslancestral lands" refers to all areas generally belonging to 
indigenous cultural communities comprising lands, inland waters and natural resources 
therein, held under a claim of ownership, occupied or possessed by indigenous cultural 
communities, by themselves or through their ancestors, communally or individually since 
time immemorial, continuously to the present except when interrupted by war, force majeure 
or displacement by force, deceit, stealth or as a consequence of government projects or any 
other voluntary dealings entered into by government and private individuals or corporations, 
and which are necessary to ensure their economic, social and cultural welfare. It shall 
include ancestral lands, forests, pasture, residential, agricultural and other lands individually 
owned whether alienable and disposable or otherwise, hunting grounds, burial grounds, 
worship areas, bodies of water, mineral and other natural resources, and lands which may 
no longer be exclusively occupied by indigenous cultural communities but from which they 
traditionally had access to for their subsistence and traditional activities, particularly the 


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home ranges of indigenous cultural communities who are still nomadic andlor shifting 
cultivators. 
(b) “Biodiversity” refers to the variety and variability among all living organisms and the 
(c) “Conservation” refers to the optimum use and management of natural resources in 
order to meet the needs and aspirations of the present and the future. 
(d) 
“Ecosystem” refers to the community of plants and animals, their physical 
environment and the interactions between or among them. 
“Exotic species” refers to species or subspecies that do not naturally occur within 
the country or within the bio-geographic region of the Philippines, within which the PA is 
situated. 
(j) “Fishlaquatic animalslproducts” refers to all fishes and other aquatic animals such 
as crustaceans, echinoderms, marine mammals and all other species of aquatic flora and 
fauna, and all other products of aquatic living resources in any form. 
ecological complex in which they occur. 
(e) 
(k) “Fishing” refers to the taking of fish, aquatic products or any aquatic flora and fauna 
(I) “Forest products” refers to include timber, pulpwood, firewood, bark tree top, resin 
gum, wood, lumber, oil, honey, beeswax, nipa, rattan or other forest growth such as grass, 
shrub and flowering plant, the associated water, fish, game, scenic, historical, recreational 
and geologic resources in forest lands. 
from their wild state or habitat, with or without the use of fishing vessels. 
(m) 
“Indigenous 
cultural 
communities” 
refers 
to 
the 
indigenous 
cultural 
communities/indigenous peoples as defined in Republic Act No. 8371, otherwise known as 
the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997, specifically the Manobos who reside within or 
are substantially dependent on the PA. 
(n) “Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)” refers to nonstock, nonprofit organizations 
with qualifications, expertise and objectivity in activities concerning community organizing 
and development, or resource and environmental conservation, management and protection 
related to the PA. 
(0)“People’s organizations (POs)” refers to a group of people which may be an 
association, cooperative, federation, aggrupation of individuals or groups with an identifiable 
structure of decision-making and accountability, established to undertake collective acticn to 
address community concerns and needs in relation to the PA. 
(p) “secretary” refers to the Secretary of the DENR. 
(4) “Tenured migrants” refers to individuals and households who have actually and 
continuously occupied such public lands which are not alienable and disposable within the 
PA before June 1, 1987 and are substantially dependent on the PA for their livelihood. 
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SEC. 5. The Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary Management Board. - There shall be a 
Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) which shall be the policy-making body of the 
PA. It shall be composed of: 
(a) The Regional Executive Director (RED) of the DENR CARAGA-XIII as chairman; 
(b) The provincial governor of Agusan del Sur as cochairman; 
(c) The provincial planning and development officer of Agusan del Sur and/or a 
permanent representative from the same office as designated by the provincial governor; 
(d) The municipal mayors of all the municipalities comprising the Agusan Marsh 
Protected Area and the Provincial Governor of Agusan del Sur or their duly designated 
permanent representatives; 
(f) One representative from each tribal community in each of the municipalities 
comprising the PA selected by and among themselves according to customary rights; 
(9) Maximum of three representatives from peoples’ organizations (POs) selected from 
among themselves in a meeting duly called among all POs for the purpose of selecting 
PAMB representatives; 
(h) Maximum of six representatives from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) 
selected from among themselves in a meeting duly called among all NGOs operating in the 
PA for the purpose of selecting PAMB representatives; and 
(i) Representatives from government agencies operating within the PA as may be 
determined by the DENR based on their relevance and potential contribution to the PA 
management. 
In the selection of representatives from NGOs and POs, preference shall be accorded 
to those organizations that are involved in the conservation and protection of the PA and in 
the field of development work. The representation of NGOs and POs shall be institutional, 
with consideration to balanced geographic representation. 
SEC. 6. Term of Office 
of the PAMB Members. - Every member of the PAMB shall 
serve for a term of five years and shall be considered to represent his or her sector and 
deemed to carry the vote of such sector in all matters. In the case of members who are 
government officials, the term of office shall be attached to the office held. 
SEC. 7. Powers and Functions of the PAMB. -The PAMB of the Agusan Marsh Wildlife 
Sanctuary shall have the following powers and functions: 
(a) Issue all rules and regulations to prohibit and regulate acts that may be prejudicial to 
the PA and the buffer zone established herein; 
(b) Establish the criteria and set fees for the issuance of permits for the activities 
regulated by this Act, or the management plan; 
(c) Adopt rules of procedure for the conduct of business, roles and responsibilities, and 
discipline of the board members, and create committees as it may deem necessary, to 
whom its powers may be delegated; 


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(d) Review, approve and adopt management plans and its implementing rules and 
regulations (IRRs) including, but not limited to, the establishment and delineation of the 
buffer zone, within or beyond the technical description provided in Section 3 of this Act, and 
other zones and the regulated and/or prohibited activities therein such as, but not limited to, 
multiple use zones, buffer zones, recreational zones and strict protection zones; 
(e) Oversee and evaluate the Office of the Protected Area Superintendent (PASu); 
(f) Deputize interested, capable and responsible individuals for the enforcement of the 
(9) Accept donations, approve proposals for funding, budget allocations and exercise 
accountability over all funds that may accrue to the PA including, but not limited to, the 
Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary Fund; 
(h) Initiate civil or administrative proceedings, file criminal complaints and take 
necessary legal action against individuals, associations, corporations or any entity destroying 
or contributing to the deterioration or destruction of the PA, in whatever degree, such as, but 
not limited to, the discharge of wastes or refuse which may affect the PA; 
(i) Participate in all stages of the environmental impact assessment process of projects 
which may potentially affect the PA, and in the monitoring thereof; 
(j) Review and approve or disapprove all projects and activities which may affect the 
PA; 
(k) Identify, verify and review all tenure instrument, land claims, and issuance of permits 
for resource use within the PA and recommend land reclassification and proper use of 
resources found therein consistent with the zoning of the PA as provided in the management 
or successor plans: 
(I) Require any government agency, office, board, private or public person to 
laws, rules and regulations governing conduct in the PA; 
coordinate with the PAMB to achieve the objectives of this Act; 
(m) Participate in the selection and designation process of the DENR in the 
appointment of the PASu for the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary; and 
(n) Establish an appropriate election process and elect from within the PAMB a 
responsible chairperson dedicated to the objectives of this Act. 
The Secretary shall exercise authority over the PAMB to ensure that it is acting within 
the scope of its powers and functions. In case of conflict between administrative orders of 
national application issued by the DENR pursuant to Republic Act No. 7586, otherwise 
known as the National Integrated Protected Areas Act of 1992 or the NIPAS Act, and the 
rules and regulations issued by the PAMB, the Secretary of the DENR shall resolve such 
conflict. 
SEC. 8. Protected Area Superintendent (PASu) Office. - There is hereby established a 
Protected Area Superintendent's Office in charge of the management, protection and 
administration of the PA. The PASu shall be supported by the existing personnel of the 
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DENR. The head of office shall be the chief operating officer of the Agusan Marsh Wildlife 
Sanctuary or the PA and shall be accountable to the RED of the DENR CARAGA-XIII and 
the PAMB. The PASu shall have the following powers and firnctions: 
(a) Prepare the management and successor plans as herein defined; 
(b) Provide a secretariat for the PAMB which shall have the duty to supply the PAMB 
(c) Hire and supervise the necessary personnel to support operations as the budget 
(d) Establish a productive partnership with the local community, including groups 
interested in the achievement of the goals and objectives of the PA, and in the planning, 
protection and management thereof; 
with all the necessary information for appropriate action; 
made available by the PAMB may allow: 
(e) Develop and implement a park information, education and visitor program; 
(f) Enforce the laws, rules and regulations relevant to the PA, institute and file legal 
action independently or in collaboration with other government agencies or organizations and 
assist in the prosecution of offenses committed in violation of this Act; 
(9) Monitor all activities within the PA regarding its conformity with the management 
(h) Issue PA permits based on'terms, conditions and criteria established by the PAMB; 
plan; 
and 
(i) Perform such other functions as the PAMB may delegate. 
SEC. 9. Ancestral Lands and Domain. - The rights of the indigenous cultural 
communities to their ancestral domains shall be fully recognized. Traditional property 
regimes exercised by the indigenous cultural communities in accordance with their 
customary laws shall govern the relationships of all individuals within their communities with 
respect to all lands and resources found within ancestral lands. 
Indigenous cultural 
communities may apply for Certificates of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) as provided in the 
Indigenous People's Rights Act of 1997 or Republic Act No. 8371. 
SEC. I O .  
Construction and Presumptions in Favor of Indigenous Cultural 
Communities. - The provisions of this Act shall be construed liberally in favor of the 
indigenous cultural communities. Nothing herein shall be construed to impair or diminish 
prior or existing rights currently enjoyed by the indigenous cultural communities as provided 
by existing laws. 
Unless proven to be contrary to custom by clear and convincing evidence before the 
PAMB, the following presumptions shall govern: 
(a) All lands presently occupied by the indigenous cultural communities as well as those 
seasonally occupied according to their culture and traditions shall be presumed to be 
ancestral lands; 


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(b) Rights and obligations within ancestral lands are presumed to be governed by 
(c) Rights and obligations within ancestral lands are governed by customary law and 
are presumed to be held collectively by the indigenous community; and 
(d) Rights and obligations within ancestral lands proven to be held by individuals under 
customary law are presumed to be held in trust by such individuals for the whole community. 
Permits, licenses or whatever authorities required by this Act or any other statutes 
concerning the continued use, extraction or exploitation of forest products and/or possession 
or occupation of lands within the PA shall not be withheld without notice and due process 
from the indigenous cultural communities by the granting authority. 
SEC. 11. 
Tenured Migrants. - Tenured migrants are those members of 
households who have actually and continuously occupied the PA since June 1, 1987 and are 
substantially dependent on the PA for their livelihood. 
Tenured migrants shall be eligible to become stewards of portions of lands within 
allowed and designated zones. The PAMB shall identify, verify and review all tenure 
instrument, land claims and issuance of permits for resource use within the PA. The PAMB 
may also recommend the issuance of the appropriate tenure instrument consistent with the 
land classification, proper and allowed use of resources found therein and zoning provided in 
the management or subsequent management plans. 
All legitimate private rights of tenured migrants within the PA shall be protected in 
accordance with existing laws. Nothing herein shall be construed to mean any diminution of 
accrued rights earned by tenured migrants. If, however, areas occupied by tenured migrants 
are designated as zones in which no occupation or other activities are allowed pursuant to 
the attainment of sustainable development, provision for their transfer to multiple use zones 
or buffer zones shall be accomplished through just and humane means. 
customary law; 
’ 
In the event of termination of a tenure instrument for cause or by voluntary surrender of 
rights, the PASu shall take immediate steps to rehabilitate the area in order to return it to its 
most viable state consistent with the management plan and zoning thereof. 
SEC. 12. 
Existing Facilities Within the PA, - Within sixty (60) days from the 
effectivity of this Act, major existing facilities such as roads, buildings, water systems, 
transmission lines, communication facilities, heavy equipment, and irrigation facilities existing 
within the boundaries of the PA shall submit project description to the PAMB through,the 
PASu. 
The PAMB, with the assistance of the DENR, shall determine whether the existence of 
such facility and its future plan and operations will be detrimental to the PA or whether 
conditions for its operation shall be imposed. If any such conditions are violated, the owner of 
the facility shall be liable to pay a fine of Five thousand pesos (P5,OOO.OO) for every violation. 
Upon reaching a total fine of Five hundred thousand pesos (P500,000.00), the PAMB 


IO 
through the PASu and deputizing other government entities, shall cause the cessation and 
demolition of the facility at the cost of its owner. 
Existing facilities allowed to remain within the PA may be charged a reasonable royalty 
by the DENR. All income from such royalty shall accrue to the Mt. Hilong-Hilong Protected 
Area Fund. 
SEC. 13. 
Protection of Riverbanks and Water Level. - Lands, twenty (20) meters 
from the riverbanks within the PA that are not part of an ancestral domain claim shall be 
classified as public forest. 
It shall not be subject to private ownership nor shall it be 
reclassified, except by Congress. Alienable and disposable lands over which no rights have 
yet ripened shall revert to the classification of forest. 
frohibifed Acts. - The following shall be the prohibitions and penalties 
SEC. 14. 
applicable to the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary: 
(a) The penalties and qualifications prescribed in Article 309, on theft, and Article 310, 
on qualified theft, of the Revised Penal Code, depending on the value of the resources 
involved in connection with the prohibited act, shall be imposed upon any person who: 
(1) Hunts, takes, destroys, disturbs or possesses any timber, forest product, natural 
growing or wild terrestrial or aquatic plants, animals, flora or fauna or products derived 
therefrom, or any form of extraction or use of resources within particularly identified 
regulated or prohibited areas or zones in the PA including private lands, without the 
necessary PA permit, authorization or exemption as issued or promulgated by the PAMB; 
(2) Cuts, gathers, removes or collects timber or any forest products within particularly 
identified prohibited areas or zones in the PA including private lands, without the necessary 
PA permit, authorization or exemption as issued or promulgated by the PAMB; 
(3) Cuts, destroys any tree, shrubs or other erosion-preventing plants or builds or 
introduces any structure that would cause erosion in areas within twenty (20) meters from 
the riverbanks within the PA; 
(4) Possesses outside the PA any timber, forest products, wild terrestrial or aquatic 
plants, animals, flora or fauna so prohibited by the PAMB, or products derived therefrom 
which are ascertained to have been taken from the PA. It shall be presumed to have been 
taken from the PA if the subject plants, animals, flora or fauna are found in possession of 
persons or conveyances that have traveled to the PA in the past seventy-two (72) hours; and 
(5) Hunts, collects, removes or destroys endangered or protected species, except when 
collection or removal is for scientific research and is so exempted from this prohibition by the 
PAM B . 
(b)A fine of not less than One hundred thousand pesos (PlOO,OOO.OO) but not more 
than Five hundred thousand pesos (P500,OOO.OO) or imprisonment of not less than five 
years nor more than ten (IO) years, or both, and the restoration and rehabilitation of the 
damage or when appropriate, the ejectment thereof, shall be imposed upon any person who: 
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(1) Occupies, settles or possesses any portion of the PA; introduces improvements, 
agricultural or otherwise; or makes kaingin therein, not sanctioned by law or without the 
proper permit and authority as required by the PAMB; 
(2) Sells, buys, offers to sell or buy any real property or the rights thereof within 
particularly identified regulated or prohibited areas or zones in the PA; 
(3) With the use of force, intimidation, threat, deceit or taking advantage of the absence 
or tolerance of the rightful possessor/occupant/claimant, succeeds in occupying or 
possessing any portion of lands within the PA, against the will of the latter; 
(4) Uses explosives, noxious substances or electricity for fishing within the PA. 
Discovery of explosives, noxious or poisonous substances, electro-fishing devices and 
paraphernalia in the possession of a fisherfolk or discovery of fish caught throygh 
explosives, noxious or poisonous substances or electricity within and nearby fishing areas or 
in fishing boats shall constitute prima facie evidence that the possessor thereof committed 
the act herein prohibited; 
(5) Destroys, damages, mutilates, defaces or commits any acts of vandalism on any 
object of natural beauty, object of anthropological or cultural importance, or nonrenewable 
resource within the PA; 
(6) Throws, discharges or dumps any substance in any area within the PA and buffer 
zones, that is or potentially deleterious to plants, animals or inhabitants and the ecosystem 
of the PA; 
(7) Alters, removes, destroys or defaces any boundary markers, monuments or 
interpretative signs relating to the PA; 
(8) Causes damage to roads, trails and pathways; 
(9) Engages in any degree or form of mineral locationlexploration, quarrying, or 
(10)Any public officer or officer of the law, who, in dereliction of the duties of his office, 
shall maliciously refrain from instituting prosecution for the punishment of violators of the law, 
or shall tolerate the commission of offenses. Conviction of this offense shall also carry the 
penalty of perpetual disqualification from public office; and 
extraction; 
(1 1)Any person who obstructs or hinders any enforcement of this Act, its related laws, 
rules and regulations. 
(c) A fine of not less than Five thousand pesos (P5,OOO.OO) nor more than One hundred 
thousand pesos (P100,OOO.OO) or imprisonment from one year to six years, or both, shall be 
imposed upon any person who: 
(1) Violates any rules and regulations promulgated by the PAMB or its duly authorized 
delegate or any agreement or commitment reached before the PAMB; 
(2) Deals in any product illegally derived from the PA such as, but not limited to, selling, 
38 
buying, offering to sell or buy any timber, forest product, natural growing or wild terrestrial or 


12 
aquatic plants, animals, flora or fauna or products derived therefrom, or any resource from 
within particularly identified regulated or prohibited areas or zones in the PA, without the 
necessary permit, authorization or exemption for the utilization and/or extraction thereof as 
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provided by this Act and other existing laws, rules and regulations; 
(3) Uses any equipment which facilitates extraction of resources, regardless of such 
(4) Leaves in exposed or in unsanitary condition debris, refuse or garbage anywhere 
intention or purpose, within the PA without the necessary PA permit or authorization; 
within the PA; and 
(5) Enters any portion of the PA for purposes of mountain climbing, camping, 
spelunking, study, research or recreational visit without the necessary permit or 
authorization. 
I 
If a corporation, organization, partnership or association con;lmits the act, the penalty 
shall be imposed on the chief executive officer and/or board of trustees of the corporation, 
organization or managing partner of the partnership or association. Valuation of the damage 
shall take into account biodiversity and conservation considerations as well as aesthetic and 
scenic value. Valuation assessed by the DENR or the concerned government agency shall 
be presumed correct unless otherwise proven by preponderant evidence. 
Any person who shall induce another or conspire to commit any of the illegal acts 
prohibited in this Act or suffer their workers to commit any of the same shall be liable in the 
same manner as the one actually performing the act. 
SEC. 15. 
Administrative Confiscation and Fine. - Administrative proceedings for 
violation of the foregoing prohibited acts shall proceed independently and without prejudice 
to judicial action. The PAMB, through the PASu, is hereby empowered to impose an 
administrative fine ranging from Five thousand pesos (P5,OOO.OO) to One hundred fifty 
thousand pesos (PI 50,000.00) 
and/or the cancellation of permit or license issued. 
Decisions of the PASu may only be appealed to the PAMB. 
All conveyances, vessels, equipment, paraphernalia, implements, gear, tools and 
similar devices shall be subject to immediate administrative confiscation by the PASu Office 
upon apprehension without prejudice to criminal action. Upon filing of criminal action in the 
regular courts, said conveyances, vessels, equipment, paraphernalia, implements, gear, 
tools and similar devices shall be under custodia legis but shall continue to be subject to 
administrative confiscation and may only be released to the owner pending trial by the trial 
court, upon consultation with the PASu and with proper consideration of the penfling 
administrative proceedings and the potential forfeiture of the said objects. 
Administrative fines collected and the proceeds of the sale of all objects administratively 
or judicially confiscated or forfeited pursuant hereto imposed shall accrue to the Agusan 
Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary Fund. The PAMB shall promulgate the procedure for the sale. 


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SEC. 16. 
Special Prosecutor and Retained Counsel. - Within thirty (30) days from 
the effectivity of this Act, the Department of Justice (DOJ) shall appoint a special prosecutor 
to whom all cases of violation of laws, rules and regulations in the PA shall be assigned, 
Such Special Prosecutor shall coordinate with the PAMB and the PASu in the performance 
of hidher duties and assist in the training of wardens and rangers in arrest and criminal 
procedures. The PAMB may retain the services of a counsel to prosecute and/or assist in the 
prosecution of cases under the direct control and supervision of the regular or special 
prosecutor and to defend the members of the PAMB, the PASu and the staff, or any person 
assisting in the protection, conservation and sustainable development of the PA, against any 
legal action related to their powers, functions and responsibilities as provided in this Act or 
as delegated or tasked by the PAMB. 
Reporting Responsibility. - The PASu, through the PAMB, shall submit 
an annual accomplishment report to the Secretary of the DENR on the activities undertaken 
in the PA. 
SEC. 17. 
SEC. 18. 
Appropriations. - The Secretary of the DENR shall immediately include 
in the Department's program the implementation of this Act, the funding of which shall be 
included in the annual General Appropriations Act. 
SEC. 19. 
Consfruction and Suppletory Application of Existing Laws. The 
provisions of this Act shall be construed liberally in favor of achieving biodiversity 
conservation, protection and sustainable development Provisions of Republic Act No. 7586, 
otherwise known as the National Integrated Protected Areas Management Act of 1992 and 
existing forestry laws, and their corresponding rules and regulations not inconsistent hereto 
shall have the suppletory effect in the implementation of this Act. 
Separability Clause. - If any part or provision of this Act is declared 
unconstitutional, such declaration shall not affect the other parts or provisions hereof and 
shall continue to be in full force and effect. 
SEC. 20. 
SEC. 21. 
Repealing Clause. - All other existing laws, rules and regulations 
inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 22. 
Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
complete publication in the Official Gazette or in a national newspaper of general circulation 
available in the PA. This Act shall be translated in a dialect known in the PA by the DENR 
within thirty (30) days from approval hereof and shall be posted for three consecutive weeks 
in conspicuous place in the provincial, municipal and barangay halls within the PA as well as 
in 
three 
other 
public 
places 
frequented 
by 
the 
public. 
I 
Approved,