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RESOLUTION DECLARING THE ACT OF MANGROVE DEBARKING AS ILLEGAL AND THE MERE POSSESSION OF TANBARK AS ILLEGAL PER SE IN THE PROVINCE OF PALAWAN

WHEREAS,R.A. 7611 adopted the Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP) for Palawan as the comprehensive framework that shall guide the local government of Palawan and the government agencies concerned in the formulation and implementation of environmental plans, programs and projects affecting said province;

WHEREAS, Section 5 of the said Act adopts as its general philosophy the sustainable development of Palawan which requires the use of complementary activities of development and conservation that promote the ecological viability, social acceptability and integrated approach to ensure the perpetuation of natural resources for the present and future generations;

WHEREAS, the SEP provides for the establishment of the main strategy, the Environmentally Critical Areas Network (ECAN), a graded system of protection and development control over the whole province, including its tribal lands, forests, mines, agricultural areas, settlement areas, small islands, mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass and the surrounding sea;

WHEREAS,, the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) under the Office of the President is mandated to provide the machinery for the governance, implementation and policy direction of the SEP and pursuant to such mandate the PCSD is empowered to adopt, amend and rescind such rules and regulations and impose penalties therefor for the effective implementation of the SEP;

WHEREAS, the PCSD is likewise mandated to enforce not only the provisions of Republic Act No. 7611 but also the other existing laws rules and regulations similar to or complementary with the SEP law and to perform such other powers and functions which shall promote the development, conservation, management, protection, and utilization of the natural resources of the province;

WHEREAS, pursuant to the above-mentioned powers and functions and in response to the request of the Municipality of Balabac for assistance, a team was dispatched to monitor and document the massive destruction of mangrove and other illegal activities in the Municipality of Balabac;

WHEREAS , in a video documentation the team reported the extent of damage brought about by illegal logging and debarking of mangrove which if not immediately stopped will result to irreversible damage to the environment;

WHEREFORE on motion of Arty. Joselito C. Alisuag, duly seconded by Hon. Vicente Sandoval, the Council resolves, as it is hereby RESOLVED, to declare, as it is hereby DECLARED, the act of mangrove debarking as illegal and the mere possession of mangrove tanbark as illegal per se;

RESOLVED FURTHER, that the DENR be directed to burn all the confiscated tanbark in the presence of PCSD representatives and the local officials in the municipality;

RESOLVED FINALLY, that copies of this resolution be furnished the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture, and other concerned agencies for their information and appropriate action.

APPROVED and ADOPTED this 30th day of March 2000 in Puerto Princesa

I hereby certify to the correctness and accuracy of the above-quoted resolution.

The Palawan Council for Sustainable Development is a national agency under
the Office of the President of the Philippines