Forest laws of the Philippines

Title

Language

English

Year

1950

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

Forest Laws of the Ph i"I i p pi n es FELIX MABBAYAG Forester, Bureau of Forestry Our public forest is the foundati.:m of the economic well-being of our country. The deep concern of our country today is how to perpetuate our forest res.Jurces in order to free us from the evil effects of deforestation and to obtain the fullest advantage of its conservation and wise utilization. The Philippines has established a noteworthy record of achievement in her tendency to value and cherish the heritage of nature. From the Spanish regime up to the present time, this tendency is shown by the trend of various laws relative to the protection, conservation and wise utilization of our forest resources. The Act of Congress of July 1, 1902, serves as the foundation structure of our Forest Laws. This was followed by various subsequent Acts with a series of amendments, embodying the F.:>rest Law in Chapter 47 of Act No. 2711. Under this Act, the Bureau of Forestry has jurisdiction and authority over the demarcation, protection, management, re. production, reforestation, occupancy and use of all public forests and forest reserves and over the granting of licenses for the cuttii;ig, gathering and removing of timber and other forest products. It has also jurisdiction over the protection and conservation .Jf game an:d wildlife (Act No. 2590, as amended, and Commonwealth Ac~ No. 73); the establishment and protection of National Parks (Act No. 3915, as amended); the protection of wild flowers and plants (Act No. 3983); the administration of public lands adopted for grazing purposes (Commonwealth Act No. 452); the enforcement of Acts Nos. 2812 and 3572; the control and disposition· of timber within mineral lands as pr.:>vided in Section 1833 Page 8 of Act No. 2711 in conjunctbn with Act No. 3822 and Section 89 of the Mining Act; and the establishment and development of cinchona plantations in public forest lands and the disposition of the products derived therefr.:>m. (Commonwealth Act No. 646). The Bureau of Forestry has in the past a problem of great importance in the reclamation of our waste and idle lands. It is important to note that the most outstanding achievement in the recognition of the imp.:>rtance of reforestation work was the enactment of Republic Act No. 115. The revenues collected under this Act shall constitute a fund, known as "Reforestation Fund" to be used exclusively in carrying out the purposes provided therein. Another case confronting the Bureau of Forestry is the illegal cutting of timber and other forest products by unlicensed persons. This act constitutes not only a great loss of revenue to the Government but also in the destruction of our public forests. The recent passage ·of Republic Act No. 460 is of great significance in the solution of this problem. This Act authorizes the Director of Forestry to regulate the operati.:>n of sawmills and provides penalty for violation of the provisions thereof. It aims to solve the present condition in the control, dispositi.Jn, and merchandizing of timber and to increase the income of the Government in the form of forest charges and fees. At present, one of the serious pr.Jblems affecting forestry administration is forest destruction caused by illegal kaiiigin making and illegal entry and occupation of public forest (Continued on page 38) FORESTRY LEAVES FOREST LAWS ... (Continued from page 8) lands. The evil effects of this practice is the gradual disappearance of our vast commercial forests t.:> the detriment of public interests. In order to eradicate the kaiiigin evil, His Excellency, the late President Quezon strongly recommended the enactment of Commonwealth Act No. 447 which provides heavier penalties for illegal forest destruction and illegal entry and occupation of .:>Ur public forests, the penalty being imprisonment ranging from one to six months, eviction of the offender from the land and forfeiture of whatever improvements made thereon. However, only thru mutual. understanding and cooperation shall we be able to accomplish our policy of forest conservation, that is, individual interest and c.:>llective interests should team together towards this end. It is gratifying to note that at present we have adequate F.:>rest Laws for the conservation of our natural resources. It is, however, regretted that at present there is lack of sufficient technically trained foresters and funds to carry out effectively the enforcement of our existing Forest Laws. The Government should, therefore, encourage desir~ble men t.:> take up the forestry profession and to provide for tile graduates reasonable, stable and remunerative positions. ~ - The problem of forest conservation 'is a nati.:>nal problem. Our country is aware of the unending benefits derived from forest conservation and the irreparable injury to our economic and social welfare if we should be negligent in our duty as trustees for this valuable portion of our national inheritance. It is our prime duty to transmit to our posterity not- only our heritage of liberty but also the material resources which are essential to give life and permanence to that liberty. Conservation is the prevention of waste or destruction or in other words, the wise use .:>f our resources. In this connection, there is quoted below excerpts from a speech of His Excellency, the Page 3·s late President Quezon, for the guidance of the public. "You can· show true patriotism and 1.:>ve of country by conserving and utilizing wisely our forest resources. I repeat, do not cut and burn trees; otherwise, you deprive our country of the income from farest charges which income means schools for your children and their children's children. We have no right to deprive them of their inherent share of the patrimony of our country-.:>ur fo-1 rests". In conclusion, I wish to emphasize that in order to succeed in all our public undertakings, our slogan should be "One for all and all for the service of the pe.:>ple." THE PROBLEM OF . . . (Continued from page 48) wait too long, it will be too late. At the rate data for complete working plans are being worked out, it will take years before they can be completed. However, with the application of data on hand the above measure& could be undertaken, and such modifications made as experience indicates to be desirable. It is ~ the tackling of problems of this type that the special training of the forester51 may be made use of. Even the use of trained foresters will not be enough to ensure success unless there is also a thorough and sustained cooperation among the foresters, the lumber companies and the Government. -MRR ERRATA Page 48 l. 16---"area" should read "are'. L. 23 "members should read "remembers." April issue 1950, p. 41-title of article should read "A Suggestion for a N ceded Complementary Measure to Our Forest Protec;:tion Laws." I FORESTRY LEAVES'

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