SUiilii.' 
SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
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'13 
NOV -4 P 4 :45 
SENATE 
S.B. No. 1900 
Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This bill seeks to implement an important provision found in Section 4, Article 
XII of the 1987 Constitution which states that Congress shall determine by law 
the specific limits of forest lands and national parks, marking clearly their 
boundaries on the ground and that such forest lands and national parks may not 
be increased nor diminished except by law, 
At present, the government relies only on land classification maps and cadastral 
survey maps of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and on 
local government initiatives in the identification of forest lands and agricultural 
lands, With properly identified forest lands, the national government can better 
plan the utilization of existing forestlands and ensure the protection and 
preservation of the same, 
This proposed measure seeks to designate as forest lands the following: (a) all 
lands already classified as forestlands as per existing land .classification maps 
issued by the DENR; (b) all permanent forest reserves proclaimed as such by the 
President or by law; (c) such areas within the classifi~d lands of the public 
domain that were assessed and delineated by the DENR in accordance with 
pertinent laws, rules and regulations and which may hereafter be classified as 
forest land by the DENR 
Moreover, a Land Classification Conflict Adjudication Board will also be created 
to resolve controversies and disputes arising from land classification as a result 
of the delimitation of forest lands, It is worth stressing that the delineation of the 
permanent forest line is key to the establishment and implementation of a 
sustainable development plan for the countrY's forest resources, 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought 
Senator 
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SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
'13 
NOV -4 P 4 :45 
SENATE 
S.B. No. 1900 
Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING FOR THE DELINEATION OF THE SPECIFIC FOREST LIMITS 
OF THE PUBLIC DOMAIN AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
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SECTION 1. Short Title. ~ This Act shall be known and cited as the "Forest Limits 
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Act of 2013". 
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SECTION 2. Declaration of 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, Section 4, Article XII of the 1987 Constitution mandates Congress to determine 
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by law the specific 
limits of forest lands and national parks marking clearly their 
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boundaries on the ground. 
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SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. - For the purpose of this Act, the following terms 
shall, unless the context indicates otherwise, have the following meanings: 
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, 
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(a) 
Agricultural lands refer to alienable or disposable lands of the 
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public domain that have been the subject of the land classification system and 
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declared as not needed for forest purposes; 
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(b) 
Delimitation survey 
refers. to the establishment of land 
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classification boundaries, and the monumenting thereof following ground survey; 
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(c) 
Delineation refers to the conduct of site investigation, field 
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reconnaissance and assessment, and staking of boundaries between forest lands, 
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national parks and agricultural lands verified in the field in accordance with the 
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criteria set forth under Department of Environment and Natural Resources 
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Administrative Order No. 2008-24; 
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(d) 
Forest 
lands 
refer to all lands of the public domain already 
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classified as forest land as per existing land classification maps issued by the 
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Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) including all 
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permanent forest reserves proclaimed as such by the President or declared by law, 
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and 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, rules and 
3 
regulations; 
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(e) 
Production forest refers to a forest area desigl).ated primarily for. 
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production of wood, fibre, bio-energy and/ or non-wood forest products; 
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(f) 
Protected Area refers to identified portions of land and/ or water 
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set aside by reason of their unique physical and biological significance, managed to 
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enhance biological diversity and pro~ected against destructive human exploitation; 
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(g) 
Protection forest refers to a forest whose value lies in the 
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regulation of stream flow and the prevention of erosion and avalanches rather than 
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in its timber; and 
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, 
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(h) 
Tenured migrant refers to forest occupants who have actually and 
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continuously occupied a portion of the forest and is solely dependent therein for 
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subsistence. A forest occupant is understood to be "solely dependent for 
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subsistence" when everything indispensable for survival for. the household, 
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including food, clothing, shelter and health, comes only from the utilization of 
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resources from the forest. 
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SECTION 4. What Constitutes Forest Land - The 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 forestland as 
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per existing land classification maps issued by the DENR; 
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(b) 
All permanent forest reserves proclaimed as such by the 
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President or declared by law; and 
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(c) 
Such areas within the unclassified lands of the public domain that 
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were assessed and delineated by the DENR in accordance with pertinent laws, rules 
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and regulations and which may hereafter be classified as forest land by the DENR. 
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SECTION 5. Guidelines in Determining the Specific Limits of Forest Lands. -
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The following guidelines and procedures shall be followed in determining the specific 
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limits of forestlands in the country; 
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(a) 
The previously established Land Classification (LC) survey lines 
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per province with their respective technical descriptions (TDs) and maps shall be the 
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basic data and information that will be used as reference material in undertaking the 
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validation, assessment and delineation process. 
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(b) 
All completed assessment and delineation reports for a given 
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province 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 approval. 
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(c) 
The same process shall be followed for other provinces with 
ongoing assessments and delineation activities until such time that all the boundaries 
of forest lands of the whole country shall have been delimited. 
Provided, That all 
assessments, validations and delineations shall be completed not later than one (1) 
year after the passage of this Act. 
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SECTION 6. Creation of the National Review and Evaluation Committee. - In 
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recognition of the constitutional mandate as embodied in Section 4, Article XII thereof, 
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and in view of the urgent need to establish the permanent limits of the forest lands of 
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the country, a National Review and Evaluation Committee. is hereby created to process, 
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evaluate and approve all completed assessment and delineation reports referred to in 
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the immediately preceding section. The Committee, in its 'evaluation and approval of 
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the said reports, shall adhere strictly to existing established laws, policies, rules, 
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regulations and guidelines pertinent thereto. 
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The Committee shall be composed of the following: 
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(a) 
(b) 
(c) 
(d) 
(e) 
(f) 
(g) 
(h) 
Secretary of the DENR as Chairman; 
Secretary of the Socioeconomic Planning and Director-General of 
the National Economic a!ld Development Authority (NEDA) as 
Vice-Chairman; 
Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government 
(DILG) as Member; 
Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA) as Member; 
Secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) as 
Member; 
Chairman 6f the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating 
Council (HUDCC) as Member; 
Chairman of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples 
(NcrP) as Member; and 
President of the League of Provinces of the Philippines as 
Member. 
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Upon approval of the assessment and delineation reports as herein specified, the 
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Committee shall submit the same to Congress that shall thereafter form part of its 
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official records. The assessment and delineation reports as approved by the Committee • 
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shall be adopted as constituting the final boundaries of the forest lands covered by the 
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said report. 
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SECTION 7. Demarcation and Delimitation of Fqrest Land Boundary. - Immediately 
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after the forest line has been determined following the guidelines prescribed in Section 
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5 hereof, the DENR shall delimit and establish the permanent boundary monuments on 
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the ground. 
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SECTION 8. Permanency of the Specific Forest Limits. The permanent forest lands 
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established pursuant to this Act sh!lll not be diminished nor reduced except by an Act 
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of Congress. The DENR, in coordination with all agencies and branches of the 
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government, shall see to it that the forest cover and ;'egetation therein shall be 
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protected, preserved, and enhanced. 
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SECTION 9. Sub-classification of Permanent Forest Lands. - The permanent forest 
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lands shall be further sub-classified as follows: (a) protection forests; and (b) 
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production forests. 
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After due consultation with the local government units (LGUs), 
concerned 
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communities, and other stakeholders, the DENR shall undertake the sub-classification 
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of the permanent forest lands. 
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SECTION 10. 
Recognition of the Rights of the 
Indigenous 
Cultural 
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Communitiesiindigenous Peoples and Tenured Migrant Communities. - In the 
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ground delineation of the permanent forest limits, the occupation by indigenous 
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cultural communities/indigenous peoples and tenured migrants shall be recognized 
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and respected consistent with the provisions of Republic Act No. 7160 or the Local 
6 
Government Code of 1991, Republic Act No. 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples Rights 
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Act (IPRA) of 1997, and Presidential Decree No. 705, as amended, or the Forestry 
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Code of 1975. 
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SECTION 11. Accessibility of Record to the Public. - All records and information 
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pertaining to the specific forest limits delineated pursuant to this Act shall be made 
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available to all local government units (LGUs), other government agencies, and to 
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the general public. 
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SECTION 12. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within three (3) months 
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from the effectivity of t his Act, the Secretary of the DENR shall issue the 
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corresponding 
Implementing 
Rules 
and 
Regulations 
for 
the 
effective 
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implementation of this Act. 
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SECTION 13. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting· System. '- To attain the 
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objectives of this Act, a field monitoring, evaluation and Feporting system shall be 
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adopted by the Secretary of the DENR to regularly keep track of the state of the 
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country's forest lands after their delimitation. 
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SECTION 14. Creation of the Adjudication Board to Resolve Controversies on 
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Land Classification Conflicts. - A Land Classification Conflict Adjudication Board, 
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herein referred to as the Board, is hereby created to resolve controversies arising 
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from land classification as a result of the delimitation of forest lands pursuant to 
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this Act. The Board shall be composed of the following: 
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(a) Secretary of the Department ofJustice as Chairman; 
(b) Administrator of the Land Registration Authority (LRA) 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 .. 
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SECTION 15. Powers and Functions of the Adjudication Board. - The 
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Board shall have the following powers and functions; 
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(a) 
Adjudicate cases on land conflicts and adverse claim before it for 
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resolution; 
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(b) 
Summon witnesses, administer oaths, take testimony and require 
submission of reports; 
(c) 
Compel production of books and documents and answers to 
interrogatories; and 
(d) 
Issue subpoena duces tecum, writs of possession, writs of execution 
and other writs to enforce its orders and decisions. 
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In any proceeding before the Board, the Rules of Evidence prevailing in courts of law 
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or equity shall not be controlling and it is the spirit and intention of this Act that 
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shall govern. The Board shall use any and all reasonable means to ascertain the facts 
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in each case speedily and objectively and without regard to technicalities of law or 
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procedure, all in the interest of due process. In any proceeding before the Board, the 
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parties may be represented by legal counsel. The findings of fact of the Board shall be 
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conclusive and binding on the parties and its decision or order shall be final and 
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executory. The aggrieved party may file a petition for review by certiorari and 
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question of law with the Supreme Court within thirty (30) days from receipt of the 
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order or decision of the Board. 
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SECTION 16. Appropriations. - The Secretary of the DENR shall include in the 
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Department program the implementation of this Act, the initial funding of which shall 
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be charged against the current year's appropr.iations of the Department and thereafter 
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included in the annual General Appropriations Act. 
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Funds for the implementation of the provisions of this Act shall be supplemented also 
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from any available official development assistance (ODA) and from joint projects 
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between agencies of the Philippines and an assisting country. 
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Local government units may also allo'cate counterpart funds to' be taken from their 
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internal revenue allotment (IRA) and other LGU income for the delineation of the 
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forest limits within their respective territorial jurisdictions. 
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SECTION 17. Separability Clause. - 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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SECTION 18. Repealing Clause. - 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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SECTION 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. 
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Approved, 
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