AIR WE

BREATH

CLIMATE
STABILITY

JOBS AND
PROSPERI
TY

WATER WE
DRINK

ISSUES and PROBLEMS

Increasing
percentage of
the forest
destruction
causes visible
damage to life,
property and
livelihood

Tropical
Protected Areas
causes lost of
habitat to
wildlife
Decreasing
number of
forest areas
results to
emissions of
greenhouse
gases resulting
to global
warming

How to resolve the issues?

1st issue- Philippine forests are rapidly
disappearing
- Establishing a sound and coherent
forest policy and forest related
legislation
- Encouraging consistency of the
regulatory framework

Applicable law
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 3571
AN ACT TO PROHIBIT THE CUTTING, DESTROYING OR INJURING OF
PLANTED OR GROWING TREES, FLOWERING PLANTS AND SHRUBS
OR PLANTS OF SCENIC VALUE ALONG PUBLIC ROADS, IN PLAZAS,
PARKS, SCHOOL PREMISESOR
IN ANY
OTHER PUBLIC GROUND.
I. BASIC
POLICY
promote and conserve the beauty of objects of scenic and ornamental value
along public places and help preserve cool, fresh and healthful climate
SEC. 3. No cutting, destroying, or injuring of planted or growing trees,
flowering plants and shrubs or plants of scenic value along public roads, in
plazas parks, school premises or in any other public ground shall be
permitted save when the cutting, destroying, or injuring of same is necessary
for public safety, or such pruning of same is necessary to enhance its beauty
and only upon the recommendation of the committee mentioned in the
preceding section, and upon the approval of the Director of Parks and
Wildlife. The cutting, destroying, or pruning shall be under the supervision of
the committee.

Applicable law
PROHIBITED ACTS AND PENALTIES
SEC. 4. Any person who shall cut, destroy or
injure trees, flowering plants and shrubs or
plants of scenic value mentioned in the
preceding sections of this Act, shall be punished
by prison correctional in its minimum period to
prison mayor in its minimum period.

Jurisprudence
Leonardo De Castro vs Mayor Yap
As a premier tourist destination for local and foreign tourists, Boracay appears more of a
commercial island resort, rather than a forest land. . Forests, in the context of both the Public
Land Act and the Constitution[112] classifying lands of the public domain into agricultural, forest
or timber, mineral lands, and national parks, do not necessarily refer to large tracts of wooded
land or expanses covered by dense growths of trees and underbrushes.[113] The discussion in
Heirs of Amunategui v. Director of Forestry[114] is particularly instructive: A forested area
classified as forest land of the public domain does not lose such classification simply because
loggers or settlers may have stripped it of its forest cover. Parcels of land classified as forest
land may actually be covered with grass or planted to crops by kaingin cultivators or other
farmers. Forest lands do not have to be on mountains or in out of the way places. Swampy
areas covered by mangrove trees, nipa palms, and other trees growing in brackish or sea
water may also be classified as forest land. The classification is descriptive of its legal nature
or status and does not have to be descriptive of what the land actually looks like. Unless and
until the land classified as forest is released in an official proclamation to that effect so that it
may form part of the disposable agricultural lands of the public domain, the rules on
confirmation of imperfect title do not apply

Other supporting
documentation

A call for a sustainable waste management on Boracay Island

How to resolve the issue?

2nd issue: Humancaused emission from
deforestation
-

Use Recycled Items

Tree care
Farming practices
Reforestation
Support Conservation
Organizations

Applicable laws
The principal law governing forest management in the country
is PD 705 (1975) otherwise known as the Revised Forestry
Code of the Philippines. The Code contains basic forestry
standards and practices such as areas needed for forestry,
multiple use, forest utilization and management, and criminal
offenses and penalties. PD 705 has been amended by PD 865,
PD 1559, PD 1775, BP 83, RA 7161 and EO 277.
Section 68 of PD 705 as amended by Executive Order No. 277
(1987) is the law governing illegal logging.
Sec. 78 of PD 705, as amended, is the law on unlawful
occupation or destruction of forest lands and grazing lands. The
law penalizes any person who enters and occupies or
possesses, or makes kaingin for his own private use or for
others, any forest land or grazing land without authority

Jurisprudence
PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES,plaintiff-appelle,vs. WILSON B.
QUE,accused-appellant.
Ruling:

Accused-appellants possession of the subject lumber without any documentation clearly

constitutes an offense under Section 68 of P.D. 705.
We also reject appellants argument that the law only penalizes possession of illegal forest
products and that the possessor cannot be held liable if he proves that the cutting, gathering,
collecting or removal of such forest products is legal.There are two (2) distinct and separate
offenses punished under Section 68 of P.D. 705, to wit:
(1) Cutting, gathering, collecting and removing timber or other forest products from any forest
land, or timber from alienable or disposable public land, or from private land without any
authority; and
(2) Possession of timber or other forest products without the legal documents required under
existing forest laws and regulations.
In the first offense, one can raise as a defense the legality of the acts of cutting, gathering,
collecting or removing timber or other forest products by presenting the authorization issued by
the DENR.In the second offense, however, it is immaterial whether the cutting, gathering,
collecting and removal of the forest products is legal or not.Mere possession of forest products
without the proper documents consummates the crime.Whether or not the lumber comes from
a legal source is immaterial because E.O. 277 considers the mere possession of timber or other
forest products without the proper legal documents asmalumprohibitum.

How to resolve the issue?

3RD Issue: Tropical Protected
areas ceases to exist
- Habitat conservation
- Classifying environmental
values

Applicable law

RA 7586 of the National Integrated Protected Areas

System of 1992 which established protected areas for
the protection of biological diversity.

Supporting documentation

Devastation of Sagada Place resulted to disturbance of

tropical protected areas

Gap of laws and implementation

The social and cultural perspectives toward environment are
reflected in the laws of a country. However, there are issues
hindering its effective implementation. These can be classified as
below:

EDUCATIONAL ISSUES

RESOURCES
ENFORCEMENT

Conclusion
It is established that although natural resource policies and management
working documents exists, the focus has all along been on management
of the resources for increased yields (economic gains) with little or no
regards to environmental implications and societal well-being
considerations. Consequently, this conflicting situation between the
community and environment can be avoided if there is proper way of
dealing with conflicts in accordance to the framework of a long-lasting
settlement of disputes by transformation, prevention or reconciliation
Therefore, It is evident from the research that, so far, sustainable forest
management is the best contribution for forestry as a discipline to be
adopted and pursued towards establishing a sustainable equilibrium.