EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 263
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 263 - ADOPTING
COMMUNITY-BASED FOREST MANAGEMENT AS THE NATIONAL STRATEGY TO ENSURE
THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COUNTRY’S FORESTLANDS RESOURCES AND
PROVIDING MECHANISMS FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION
WHEREAS, Article II, Section 16 of
the 1987 Constitution provides for the protection and advancement of
the right of the Filipino people, both men and women, to a healthful
and balanced ecology;
WHEREAS, Article II, Section 10 provides for the promotion of social
justice to all citizens in all phases of national development;
WHEREAS, Article XIV, Section 17 mandates the State to recognize and
respect the rights of the indigenous peoples to their ancestral domains
and consider their customs, traditions and beliefs in the formulation
of laws and policies;
WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 192, series of 1987, mandates the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as the primary
government agency responsible for the sustainable management and
development of the country’s natural resources;
WHEREAS, the Philippines 2000 and the government’s Social Reform Agenda
support people empowerment and the full, meaningful and indispensable
participation of communities as immediate stakeholders of the
forestland resources in the protection and management of the forest
ecosystem;
WHEREAS, the 25-year Master Plan for Forestry Development also
recognizes the indispensable role of local communities in forest
protection, rehabilitation, development and management, and targets the
protection, rehabilitation, management, and utilization of at least 4
million hectares of forestlands, through the community-based forest
management strategy;
WHEREAS, entrusting the responsibility for forest rehabilitation,
protection, and conservation to the community of stakeholders and
affording them equitable access to the forest and coastal resources are
viable forestland management strategies as borne by the experience of
the DENR and various supporting agencies;
NOW, THEREFORE, I FIDEL V. RAMOS, President of the Philippines, by
virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order that:
Section 1. Community-based forest management (herein
referred to as CBFM) shall be the national strategy to achieve
sustainable forestry and social justice.
Sec. 2. The DENR, through its Community and
Provincial Environment and Natural Resource Offices, in coordination
with the local government units and the Department of Interior and
Local Government (DILG) shall, at all times, take into account the
needs and aspirations of local communities whose livelihood depends on
the forestlands.
Sec. 3. Participating organized communities may be
granted access to the forestland resources under long term tenurial
agreements, provided they employ environment-friendly,
ecologically-sustainable, and labor-intensive harvesting methods. Such
harvesting methods shall be mentioned under a site-specific management
plan of each recipient community and duly approved by the DENR.
Sec. 4. The indigenous peoples may participate in
the implementation of CBFM activities in recognition of their rights to
their ancestral domains and land rights and claims.
Sec. 5. A CBFM Steering Committee shall be created
immediately and headed by the DENR with members from the Departments of
Agriculture, Trade and Industry, Agrarian Reform, Finance, Science and
Technology, Labor and Employment, Interior and Local Government, Budget
and Management, National Defense and Justice; National Economic
Development and Authority; Philippine Commission on Countrywide
Development under the Office of the President, Committee on Flagship
Programs and Projects of the Office of the President; Presidential
Management Staff under the Office of the President; Cooperative
Development Authority, and Offices of Northern and Southern Cultural
Communities. The Committee may invite representatives from the
Philippine Chamber of Commerce, Philippine Wood Products Association,
NGO coalition groups, and other public and private organizations to
become members of the Steering Committee. The Committee shall formulate
and develop policy guidelines that will create incentives and
conditions necessary to effectively carry out community-based forest
management strategy. Accordingly, members of the CBFM Steering
Committee should, at least, be represented by concerned Assistant
Secretaries or heads of bureaus and agencies.
Sec. 6. The DENR shall work with local
governments, people’s organizations (POs), non-government organizations
(NGOs), religious groups, business and industry, and other concerned
organizations to ensure that communities are empowered to initiate and
achieve the objectives of this Order.
Sec. 7. In its budget preparation, the DENR shall
allot adequate funds to effectively accomplish CBFM targets and shall
seek supplementary funding from local and foreign supporting agencies
and organizations. DENR shall ensure the inclusion of budgetary
allocation for CBFM in the annual General Appropriations Act, pending
the passage of the revised Forestry Code.
Sec. 8. The DENR shall establish a Community-based
Forest Management Special Account (CBFMSA) to support the
implementation of the strategy and provide financial and professional
incentive system for deserving communities and government personnel.
Sec. 9. The DENR may source local and
international grants and donations for the establishment of the CBFM
Special Account. Other sources of fund may later be determined by the
CBFM Steering Committee subject to existing government regulations.
Sec. 10. The DENR shall support and set up jointly
with relevant colleges and universities, private and public
organizations, arrangements for a community forestry training program
for members of participating units, such as people’s organizations,
non-government organizations, local government units, and other
government personnel.
Sec. 11. Within six months after the signing of
this Order, the DENR, in consultation with government financial
institutions, such as the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP),
the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), GSIS and the SSS, shall effect
the creation of favorable financing mechanisms for access by
communities and organizations in the pursuit of the CBFM strategy and
its sub-strategies such as community training and empowerment,
enterprise development, agroforestry development, tree plantations, and
other non-forest-based alternative livelihood systems.
Sec. 12. The DENR Secretary shall issue new rules,
regulations, procedures, and guidelines necessary to implement this
Order and repeal or modify existing ones consistent with the policies
set forth by the CBFM Steering Committee.
Sec. 13. The DENR Secretary shall, within six
months from the signing of this Order, submit to the Office of the
President, a National Comprehensive Community Forestry Action Plan,
which embodies the Department’s short, medium and long-term plans. The
action plan shall be discussed and approved by the CBFM Steering
Committee prior to its submission to the President.
Sec. 14. All previous executive and administrative
issuances which are inconsistent herewith are repealed or amended
accordingly.
DONE in the City of Manila,
this 19th day of July in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and
Ninety-Five.
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Since 19.07.98.