EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
^enalc
o( tijr lk»trfu rp
SENATE
S. No. 1022
Introduced by Senator Ralph G. Recto
AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE DELINEATION OF THE SPECIFIC FOREST LIM ITS OF 
THE PUBLIC DOMAIN AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The 1987 Constitution provides that Congress shall determine by law the 
specific limits of forest lands and national parks, which shall thereafter be conserved 
and may not be increased nor diminished.
According to government statistics, half of the country's total land area or 
roughly 15.05 million hectares is classified as forest land. These lands classified 
under forest land are further disaggregated into different categories, such that only 
3.27 million hectares out of the 15.05 million hectares are classified as forest 
reserves. However, the lack of demarcation separating the lands classified as forest 
reserves from other classes may have resulted to an inaccurate picture as to the 
actual size of the country's forest lands, as some may have been encroached by 
various adjacent land developments or have been reclassified in accordance with 
existing laws.
In order to mitigate further encroachment, the Department of Environment 
and Natural Resources (DENR), as of 2017, has completed the delineation and 
assessment of 89,091 kilometers of forest lines for submission to the National 
Assessment and Delineation Committee.


However, in order to strengthen DENR's efforts in the delineation and 
assessment of the country's forest lands, an enabling law is necessary to provide a 
legal framework to preserve the remaining forest resources, protect, manage and 
utilize these lands for purposes consistent with sustainable development. With the 
growing threat of further encroachment over remaining forest lands at hand, it is 
imperative for government to secure forest lands from further dissipation due in part 
to uncontrolled development and urban expansion.
This measure seeks to define the scope of forestlands, as well as provide 
guidelines in determining the specific limits of forestlands. For this purpose, a 
National Review and Evaluation Committee, headed by the Secretary of Environment 
and Natural Resources, shall be created to process, evaluate and approve all 
completed assessment and delineation reports referred to the said Committee. The 
DENR shall, upon determination of final forest lines, delimit and establish boundary 
monuments on the ground. Forestlands delineated under this legislation shall be 
conserved and may not be increased nor decreased, except by law.
In order to resolve controversies arising from land classification as a result of 
the delimitation of forestlands, a Land Classification Conflict Adjudication Board shall 
also be created under this Bill.
To 
attain 
ecological 
balance, 
preserve valuable 
ecosystems, 
prevent 
environmental degradation and promote sustainable development, approval of this 
Bill is earnestly sought.
ALPH G
/MIO


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
S e n a te  
ot tl,r • fcrftar?
SENATE
Introduced by Senator Ralph G. Recto
AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE DELINEATION OF THE SPECIFIC FOREST LIM ITS OF 
THE PUBLIC DOMAIN AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House o f Representatives o f the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
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Section 1. Short Title. -  This Act shall be known as the "Forest Lands Limits Act
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of 2019".
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Sec. 2. Declaration o f Policy. -  It is the policy of the State to conserve, protect
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and develop the forest resources of the country in order to attain ecological balance,
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preserve valuable ecosystems, prevent environmental degradation and promote
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sustainable development for the present and future generations. To achieve these
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ends, the specific limits of forest lands and national parks shall be determined by law
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and their boundaries marked clearly on the ground.
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Sec. 3. Definition o f Terms. -  For purposes of this Act, the following terms shall
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mean:
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a) 
Agricultural lands shall refer to alienable or disposable lands of the public
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domain which have been the subject of the land classification system
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and declared as not needed for forest purposes;
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b) 
Delineation shall refer to the conduct of site investigation, field
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reconnaissance and assessment, and staking of boundaries between
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forest lands, national parks and agricultural lands verified in the field in
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accordance with the criteria set forth under Department of Environment
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and Natural Resources (DENR) administrative orders;


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c) 
Demarcation and delimitation survey shall refer to the establishment of 
permanent boundary monuments of forest land through ground survey 
in accordance with existing standards and practices;
d) 
Forest lands shall include the public forests, the permanent forest or 
forest reserves, and forest reservations;
e) 
Forest reservations shall refer to forest lands which have been reserved 
by the President of the Philippines for any specific purpose or purposes;
f) 
Permanent forest or Forest reserve shall refer to those lands of the
public domain which have been the subject of the present system of
classification and determined to be needed for forest purposes;
g) 
Production forest lands shall refer to forest lands available for timber 
and agro-forestry production, range lands for grazing, and other forest 
lands for special uses;
h) 
Protected area shall refer to identified portions of land and water set
aside by reason of their unique physical and biological significance,
managed 
to 
enhance 
biological 
diversity 
and 
protected 
against 
destructive human exploitation;
i) 
Protection forest lands shall refer to all areas within the forest lands 
devoted primarily for the protection and conservation of forest resources 
to ensure environmental stability, conservation of biological diversity, 
improvement of ecosystem functions and services, and provision of 
ecological and economic benefits. All mossy and primary/old growth 
forests and natural beach; key biodiversity areas; areas regardless of 
slope and vegetation cover which are highly erodible or too rocky for 
establishment of production forests; areas developed for the principal 
objectives of establishing vegetative cover to prevent erosion, conserve 
water and nurture wildlife; freshwater bodies, swamps, and marshes; all 
areas along the bank of the rivers and streams; and the shores of the 
seas and lakes throughout their entire length and within the zone of 
three (3) meters in urban areas, twenty (20) 
meters in agricultural 
areas, and forty (40) meters in forest areas, along their margin which 
are subject to the easement of public use in the interest of recreation


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settlements, navigation, floatage, fishing and salvage, shall also be sub-
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classified as protection forest lands: Provided, That the provisions of
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Republic Act No. 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) of
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1997 and Republic Act No. 11038 or the Expanded National Integrated
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Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act of 2018 shall be respected;
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j) 
Public forest s\\d\\ refer to the mass of lands of the public domain which
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has not been the subject of the present system of classification for the
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determination of which lands are needed for forest purposes and which
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are not; and
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k) 
Tenured migrant communities shall refer to communities within forest
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lands which have actually and continuously occupied such areas for five
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(5) years before the designation of the same as forest lands in
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accordance with this Act and are solely dependent therein for
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subsistence.
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Sec. 4, What Constitutes the Forest Lands. -T h e  following shall constitute the
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forest lands, to wit:
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a) 
all lands of the public domain already classified as forest land as per
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existing land classification maps issued by the DENR;
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b) 
all permanent forest reserves proclaimed as such by the President or
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declared by law; and
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c) 
such areas within the unclassified lands of the public domain that were
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assessed and delineated by the DENR in accordance with pertinent laws,
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rules and regulations and which 
may hereafter 
be classified 
as forest
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land by the DENR.
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Sec. 5. Guidelines in Determining the Specific Limits o f Forest Lands. -  The
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following guidelines and procedures shall be followed in determining the specific
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limits of forest lands in the country:
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a) 
The previously-established Land Classification (LC) survey lines 
per
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province with their respective technical descriptions (TDs) and maps
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shall be the basic data and information that will be used as reference
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material in undertaking the validation, assessment 
and delineation
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p rocess;


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b) 
All completed assessment and delineation reports for a given province
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shall be endorsed to the National Review and Evaluation Committee as
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created herein to be headed by the Secretary of the DENR for final
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approval; and
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c) 
The same process shall be followed for other provinces with on-going
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assessments and delineation activities until such time that all the
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boundaries of forest lands of the whole country shall have been
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delimited: Provided, That all assessments, validations and delineations
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shall be completed not later than one (1) year after the effectivity of this
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Act.
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Sec. 6. National Review and Evaluation Committee. -  A National Review and
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Evaluation Committee is hereby created to process, evaluate, and approve all
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completed assessment and delineation reports referred to in Section 5 of this Act.
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The Committee, in its evaluation and approval of the said reports, shall adhere
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strictly to existing established laws, policies, rules, regulations and guidelines
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pertinent thereto.
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The Committee shall be composed of the following:
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a) 
Secretary of the DENR as Chairperson;
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b) 
Secretary for Socioeconomic Planning and 
Director-General of the
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National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) as Vice-
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Chairperson;
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c) 
Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government
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(DILG) as Member;
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d) 
Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA) as Member;
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e) 
Secretary of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban
26 
Development (DHSUD) as Member;
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f) 
Chairperson of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP)
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as Member; and
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g) 
President of the League of Provinces of the Philippines as Member.
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Upon approval of the assessment and delineation reports, the Committee shall
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submit the same to Congress to form part of its official records. The assessment and


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delineation reports as approved by the Committee shall be adopted as constituting
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the final boundaries of the forest lands covered by the said report.
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The National Review and Evaluation Committee shall be assisted by the Forest
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Management Bureau (FMB) of the DENR in the process, evaluation and review of all
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completed assessment and delineation reports referred to in the preceding section.
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The FMB staff shall serve in the National Review and Evaluation Committee without
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compensation but may be reimbursed for basic expenses in the preparation of the
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assessment and delineation reports.
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Sec. 7. Demarcation and Delimitation o f Forest Land Boundary. -  Immediately
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after the forest line has been determined following the guidelines prescribed in
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Section 5 hereof, the DENR shall delimit and establish the permanent boundary
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monuments on the ground.
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Sec. 8. Permanency o f the Specific Forest Lands Limits. -  The permanent forest
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lands established pursuant to this Act shall not be diminished or reduced except by
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an Act of Congress. The DENR, in coordination with all agencies and branches of
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government, shall ensure that the forest cover and vegetation therein shall be
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protected, preserved and enhanced.
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Sec. 9. Sub-classification o f the Permanent Forest Lands. -  The permanent
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forest lands shall be further sub-classified as follows: (a) protection forest lands; and
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(b) production forest lands.
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After due consultation with the local government units (LGUs) concerned,
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tenured migrant communities, and other stakeholders, the DENR shall undertake the
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sub-classification of the permanent forest lands.
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Cutting of trees and mining shall be banned in the protection forest lands.
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Sec. 
10. 
Recognition 
o f 
the 
Rights 
o f 
the 
Indigenous 
Cultural
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Communities/Indigenous Peoples and Tenured Migrant Communities. -  In the
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ground delineation of the permanent forest land limits, the occupation by indigenous
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cultural communities/indigenous peoples and tenured migrant communities shall be
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recognized and respected, consistent with the provisions of Republic Act No. 7160 or
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the Local Government Code of 1991, Republic Act No. 8371 or the Indigenous
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Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997, and Presidential Decree No. 705, as amended, or
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the Forestry Code of 1975.


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Sec. 11. Accessibility o f Record to the Public. -  All records and information 
pertaining to the specific forest lands limits delineated pursuant to this Act shall be 
made available to the general public.
Sec. 12. Creation o f the Adjudication Board to Resolve Controversies on Land 
Classification Conflicts -  A Land Classification Conflict Adjudication Board, herein 
referred to as the Board, is hereby created to resolve controversies arising from land 
classification as a result of the delimitation of forest lands pursuant to this Act. The 
Board shall be composed of the following:
a) 
Secretary of the Department of Justice (DOJ) as Chairperson;
b) 
Administrator of the Land Registration Authority as Member;
c) 
Representative from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) as 
Member;
d) 
Representative from a reputable College of Forestry as Member; and
e) 
Representative from the private sector as Member.
Sec. 13. Powers and Functions o f the Adjudication Board. -  The Board shall 
have the following powers and functions:
1) 
Resolve controversies arising from land classification as a result of the 
delimitation of forest lands pursuant to this Act;
2) 
Summon witnesses, administer oaths, take testimony and require 
submission of reports;
3) 
Compel 
production 
of 
books 
and 
documents 
and 
answers 
to 
interrogatories; and
4) 
Issue subpoena duces tecum, writs of possession, writs of execution and 
other writs to enforce its orders and decisions.
In any proceeding before the Board, the Rules of Evidence prevailing in courts 
of law or equity shall not be controlling and it is the spirit and intention of this Act 
that shall govern. The Board shall use any and all reasonable means to ascertain the 
facts in each case speedily and objectively and without regard to technicalities of law 
or procedure, in the interest of due process. In any proceeding before the Board, the 
parties may be represented by legal counsel.
The findings of fact of the Board shall be conclusive and binding on the parties 
and its decision or order shall be final and executory.


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Appeal on the decision or order of the Board involving questions of law by way
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of petition for review may be filed by the aggrieved party with the Court of Appeals
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under Rule 43 of the Rules of Court within fifteen (15) days from notice of the order
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or decision of the Board.
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Sec. 14. Monitoring, Evaiuation and Reporting System. -  To attain the
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objectives of this Act, a field monitoring, evaluation and reporting system shall be
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adopted by the DENR to regularly keep track of the state of the country's forest
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lands after their delimitation. Toward this end, at the opening of each Session of
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Congress, the DENR shall submit a report to the President on the status of the
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forestlands for transmission to Congress.
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Sec. 15. Appropriations. -  The Secretary of the DENR shall include in the
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Department's budget program the funds necessary for the implementation of this
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Act, the initial funding of which 
shall be charged against the current year's
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appropriations of the Department and thereafter included in the annual General
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Appropriations Act (GAA).
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Funds for the implementation of the provisions of this Act shall be
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supplemented by any available Official Development Assistance (ODA) and from joint
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projects between agencies of the Philippines and an assisting country.
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The LGUs shall also allocate counterpart funds to be taken from their Internal
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Revenue Allotment (IRA) and other LGU income for the delineation of the forest
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lands within their respective territorial jurisdictions.
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Sec. 16. Impiementing Ruies and Reguiations. -  Within ninety (90) days from
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the effectivity of this Act, the Secretary of the DENR shall issue the corresponding
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implementing rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act.
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Sec. 17. Separabiiity Cause. -  If any portion of this Act is declared
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unconstitutional, the same shall not affect the validity and effectivity of the other
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provisions not affected thereby.
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Sec. 18. Repeaiing Cause. -  All laws, decrees, letters of instruction, executive
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orders, rules and regulations and other issuances or parts thereof inconsistent with
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this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.


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Sec. 19. Effectivity. -  This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
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complete publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general
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circulation in the Philippines.
Approved,