Republic of the Philippines
PALAWAN COUNCIL FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
R.A. 7611
Puerto Princesa City

PCSD RESOLUTION NO. 92-11

RESOLUTION TO CALL FOR A LIMITED OPERATION FOR A PERIOD OF THREE YEARS BY THE TLA HOLDER IN PALAWAN IN THE AREAS WHICH HAD BEEN AGREED UPON BY THE PALAWAN COUNCIL FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT WITH THE REPRESENTATIVES ON DENR AND THE TLA HOLDERS SUBJECT TO CLOSE MONITORING OF THE TLA OPERATIONS AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

WHEREAS, Republic Act No. 7611 was enacted on June 19, 1992 to implement the Strategic Environmental Program (SEP) for Palawan whose general philosophy is the sustainable development of Palawan to improve the quality of life of its people through the use of complementary activities of development and conservation;

WHEREAS, sustainable development comprises environmental protection as well as provisions for the socio-economic well-being of the communities in the province of Palawan that the protection conservation and development of Palawan’s natural resources is attainable through the implementation of the Environmentally Critical Areas Network (ECAN);

WHEREAS, by virtue of DAO- No.45, dated October 21, 1992 a logging moratorium has been declared by the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources pending the identification and establishment by the Palawan Council For Sustainable Development of the Environmentally Critical Areas Network (ECAN) which is the main strategy of the said Program.

WHEREAS, in its meeting on October 26, 1992 the PCSD agreed to identify the core zone as the initial component of the ECAN by means of the following criteria:

  1. Virgin forest
  2. Areas 1,000 meters and above elevation
  3. Peaks of mountains
  4. Areas of steep gradient greater than 50% slope
  5. Declared public parks and recreational areas
  6. Critical watershed areas
  7. Established tribal areas
  8. Listed habitats of endangered species
  9. Protected areas under NIPAS Law
  10. Tourism areas as identified in the Palawan Master Plan
  11. Identified areas for environmental & ecological research, education, and training
  12. Residual Forests having less than 60 cubic meters harvestable volume per hectare, and
  13. Other areas which the Council will identify

WHEREAS, in the Council meeting on 21 November 1992, the DENR presented the initially identified core zones in the province and in the succeeding meeting on 11 December 1992, the DENR reported a total of 1,093 ha as net area for logging within the residual forests inside the TLA areas.

WHEREAS, under the DENR-approved annual operation plan for 1992 of the three (3) existing timber license agreements, the latter have been allowed to operate on an aggregated of Eight Hundred Twenty (820) hectares only or approximately 0.4% of the total TLA area of about 203,000 hectares and that compared to the province-wide figure of 800,000 hectares of forest cover, the annual operable area is only one-tenth (1/10th) of one percent (1%) thereof and that the harvestable number of mature and overmature trees to be cut there under is about is about 15 trees/hectares.

WHEREAS, TLA holders, although allowed to operate in only 820 hectares of their aggregate areas, are still mandated, as they were in the past, to effectively protect the remaining 202,180 hectares of their concession areas, and that to insure such effective protection, they are, among other things, required to deposit, as reforestation trust fund, the amount of 12,500.00 for every hectare to be logged;

WHEREAS, the operation of the 3 TLA holders in Palawan contribute to the economy of the province through income generation to some 10,000 people who are directly and indirectly benefited thereby through direct employment, contract reforestation, service contracts for various services and aspects of the timber industry and that, by way of taxes paid to government coffers, they remit P550.00 per cubic meter; in addition, community and social services such as housing education, health, and recreation facilities are provided in various are of the communities where they operate;

WHEREAS, the timber requirements of the Province of Palawan and that of the country are partly met by the timber production of the 3 Palawan TLA holders and that the this timber supply benefit mostly the lower sectors of socity who can not afford to use cement and steel for their housing needs;

NOW, THEREFORE , ON UNANIMOUS MOTION, the Palawan Council For Sustainable Development hereby resolves that:

Consistent with DENR Administrative Order 45, after having segregated the areas of maximum protection following criteria set and agreed upon by the members of the PCSD, and after serious deliberation participated in by the representatives of the DENR and the TLA holders, the PCSD has decided to call for a limited operations for a period of three (3) years by the TLA holders in Palawan in the areas which had been agreed upon by the representatives of the DENR and the TLA holders, subject to close monitoring of their operations.

RESOLVED FURTHER, that copies of this Resolution be furnished then Honorable Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and all concerned for their consideration and appropriate action.

Adopted.
22 January 1992ROLAND F. RODRIGUEZ
Secretary & Executive Director
Attested:

SALVADOR P. SOCRATES
Chairman