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RESOLUTION AMENDING PCSD RESOLUTI0N NO. 94-51 GIVING PREFERENTIAL RIGHTS TO THE INDIGENOUS CULTURAL COMMUNITIES IN THE COLLECTION AND GATHERING OF MINOR FOREST PRODUCTS IN PALAWAN

WHEREAS, R.A, 7611, otherwise known as the Strategic Environmental Flan (SEP) for Palawan, took effect on 19 June 1992 and Section 10 of said Act provides that the governance, implementation and policy direction of the SEP shall be exercised by the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), under the Office of the President;

WHEREAS, Section 6 of R.A. 7611 also provides tnat the SEP sha11 serve as the framework to guide the government agencies concerned in the formulation of plans, programs and projects affecting the environment and natural resources of Pa!awan;

WHEREAS, the PCSD. in its 26th Council meeting held on 26 July 1994, adopted, through Resolution No 94-51, a policy of giving preferential rights to the indigenous cultural communities (ICCs) of Palawan to collect and gather minor forest products in the province;

WHEREAS,the Palawan Bagtik Association appealed to the Council for reconsideration on the aforementioned Resolution citing, among others, that

1. the said policy would be prejudicial to its members considering that they have been operating their almaciga resin concessions judiciously for several decades,
   
   
2. the present concessionaires only inherited this kind of livelihood from their forefathers,
   
   
3. the concessionaires have been properly paying their gatherers, most of which are members of the ICCs;

WHEREAS, the members of the ICCs, on the other, hand, counters that the concessionaires have been taking advantage by not paying properly and/or "exploiting" the members of the ICCs in the collection and gathering of minor forest products, specifically almaciga resin;

NOW THEREFORE, upon joint motion by Atty. Teodoro Q.Pena and Cong. Alfredo E. Abueg Jr., all the members of the Council present;

RESOLVED, as it hereby resolve, that PCSD Resolution No. 34-51 be amended;

RESOLVED FURTHER, that the amendments shall be as follows:

1. A study shall be undertaken by the PCSD Staff to determine the "economics* including the pricing of almaciga resin from gathering to marketing, In this regard, DENR Region IV - B commits to provide data and information on the existing licensees.
   
   
2. Until finally decided by the Council, the present almaciga concessionnaires shall be allowed to renew their permits/licenses subject to existing evaluation procedures.
   
   
3. For potential areas not covered by an existing almaciga almaciga resin concession, the members of the IGCs shall be given preferential rights to apply for and acquire licenses/permits to collect and gather the said minor forest product,

RESOLVED FINALLY, that copies of this resolution be furnished to ail concerned agencies for their information, consideration and appropriate action.

APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 26th day of October, 1994 In Puerto Princesa City.

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