RESOLUTION ADHERING TO THE DELCARED STATE POLICY OF ESTABLISHING AN INTEGRATED PROTECTED AREA SYSTEM FOR THE COUNTRY AS MANDATED BY REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7586, AND CONSISTENT WITH THE COMPLEMENTARY PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT 7611, DECLARING CERTAIN ISLANDS IN THE PROVINCE OF PALAWAN AS THE INITIAL COMPONENTS OF THE SAIE SYSTEM AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

WHEREAS, Republic Act No. 7586 enacted in June 1992 mandates the establishment of a national integrated protected area system (NIPAS) in the Philippines;

WHEREAS, Under Sec. 5 of the above-mentioned law the initial components of the national integrated protected area system (NIPAS) shall be those areas previously declared as such under existing laws, decrees, proclamations and executive orders;

WHEREAS, Republic Act No. 7611 enacted in June 1992 providing for the Strategic Environmental Program for the province of Palawan to be carried out by this August Body, complements Republic Act no. 7586, particularly in the matter of establishing the Environmentally-Critical Areas Network (ECAN) whose principal feature is the identification and segregation of core zones of the said network in the terrestrial and marine areas of the Province of Palawan;

WHEREAS, Presidential Proclamation No.219 issues on 2 July 1967 declared the entire Province of Palawan as a game refuge and bird sanctuary and the small islands therein as national reserves closed to exploitation and settlement;

WHEREAS, the above-cited proclamation was a mandated by Presidential Proclamation No. 530-B issued on March 1969 which deleted the phrase “closed to exploitation and settlement” in Presidential Proclamation No. 219, thereby giving the impression that such small islands in province was already opened a new for exploitation and settlement;

WHEREAS, in a certain presidential clarification issued in 1970, it was made to appear that only islands having an area of 50,000 hectares or more are open to exploitation and settlement; those with less that said area remained under the prohibition of Presidential Proclamation No.219;

WHEREAS, records in the Office of the President disclose that the said presidential clarification was never formalized as an amendatory proclamation and could therefore be considered as non-existing;

WHEREAS, the above-discussed matters notwithstanding, Presidential Proclamation No.219 and its amendatory proclamation have been superseded by Republic Act 7588 in conjunction with Republic Act No. 7611 which are now the governing laws in so far as the Province of Palawan is considered;

WHEREAS, is due recognition of the fact that the greater majority of the small island sin the province of Palawan with an area of less than 50,000 hectares are already subject to vested private rights in favor of their rightful occupants and claimants who personally and/or through their predecessors in-interest have invested time, resources and efforts in improving the same over a invested time. Resources and efforts in improving the same over a period of time invariably antedating Presidential Proclamation No. 219 and in order to give impetus to the tourism development program of the province and considering further that the said greater majority of these islands have not been identified and officially segregated as bird or wildlife sanctuaries under Presidential Proclamation No.219 or any other proclamation, this August Body believes that an official declaration is now proper and timely to identify which of these small islands are to constitute the initial components of the NIPAS in order that correspondingly, the small islands not so officially declared may once and for all be opened anew for exploitation and development and their rightful occupants issued their corresponding land titles and other tenurial rights subject to existing rules and regulations;

WHEREAS, in the Province of Palawan only the following island have been officially identified and declared as bird and wildlife and/or marine sanctuaries and reserves:

Ursula Island

1. Caluait Island

2. Tubbataha Reefs

3. Certain small uninhabited and unmaned island within the El Nido Marine Sanctuary

WHEREAS, Bat island in Puerto Princesa City and wedge island in the municipality of San Vicente were initially identified by Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn and Mayor Antonio Alvarez, respectively, as needing protection and should be declared as marine sanctuaries and reserves;

NOW THEREFORE, in the exercises of its mandate and authority under Republic Act No. 7611 in conjunction with Republic Act No. 7586, this August Body hereby declares that;

1. The initial components of the NIPAS in the Province of Palawan shall be:

1. 1. Ursula Island

 

1. 1. Calauit Island

 

1. 1. Tubbataha Reefs

 

1. Certain small, uninhabited and unmaned islands within the El Nido Sanctuary

2. Bat Island in Puerto Princesa City and Wedge Island in San Vicente quality as protected areas as per the recommendation of the City/Municipal Mayors.

3. Within one (1) year from the adoption of this Resolution any other island, islet, reefs, atols and shoals within the territorial jurisdiction of the province which will hereafter qualify as a protected area will be so declared by this Body upon due recommendation of their Municipal mayor in coordination with the Community Environment and Natural Resources officer (CENRO) of the municipality as affirmed by the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO).

4. In so far as the rest of the small islands in the Province of Palawan not include in the initial component of the NIPAS as mentioned above, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is hereby enjoined to as soon as possible task such measure as may be appropriate under existing rules and guidelines as would lead to the issuance of the corresponding certificate of titles or stewardship contracts to the qualified occupants or claimants.

APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 25TH day of september, 1993 in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

Certified True and Correct     Exec. Dir. ARTHUR R. VENTURA Secretary

APPROVED:     GOV.SALVADOR P. SOCRATES Chairman

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