 The arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century upset and

redefined this natural order of interdependence between the

locals and nature with various governmental policies:
▪ the reduccion (or ‘resettlement’)
▪ the encomienda system
▪ the galleon trade
▪ the real hacienda
▪ the tobacco monopoly
▪ and the planting of cash crops.
 1768- Jose Raon, a Spanish governor-general, issued a
number of ordinances aiming to keep the environment at
least on a sustainable level. One example would be Ordinance
No. 57, which states:
"Roads and bridges are to be built and rivers cleaned, especially those
flowing from Laguna, Pampanga, and Bulacan, to the city of Manila.
Rivers serve as arteries of commerce of the provinces. All weeds,
corals, and obstacles which hinder the free flow of the river currents
must be removed to avoid over-flooding that causes much damage to
crops and properties. This must be done with the least possible
hardship to the natives, and all shall labor equally for the common
good."
 1863- The Spanish government established the Inspeccion General de
Montes [IGM], the agency tasked to oversee the upkeep of the country’s
forests.
 June 8, 1874- A Royal Decree forbade the practice of slash-and-burn
cultivation.
 February 6, 1896- A Superior Decree directly ordered the establishment of
forest zones.
 November 26, 1898- The first Philippine Republic prohibited the killing of
carabaos.
 1899- Division of Forest and Division of Mines were created
 1899- Aguinaldo adopted the Spanish Forestry Laws.
 1900- Bureau of Forests, Bureau of Mines etc. was institutionalized and
made permanent in government bureaucracy.
 1904- Forest manual was drafted.
 1910- Forestry School was established in UP Los Banos.
 1912- William Cameron Forbes provided a system for appropriating
public waters; the creation and use of water power; and the
construction, maintenance, and operation of irrigation systems by the
government of the Philippine Islands.
 1916- Francis Burton Harrison amended this Act with his own Irrigation
Act (Act No. 2652)
 1924- Leonard Wood further amended this in by prescribing the
conditions under which a loan may be obtained from the government
 1932- The National Parks Act of 1932 created national parks
and declared them game refuges and sanctuaries. Also
created were the Wildlife Office (later Commission of Parks
and Wildlife) and several protected reserves around the
sources of water for cities – watersheds – Novaliches, Ipo
Dam, Montalban and so on.
 1933- Act No. 4062 permanently preserved to the Philippine
Legislature the disposition of the water, if public domain, for
the utilization and development of hydraulic power.
 1935- By the time the 1935 Constitution was drafted, Article
XII entitled, "Conservation and Utilization of Natural
Resources" already discussed the basics of resource
conservation, use and management
 1936- Commonwealth Act No. 141 deals with the land use
management. Pasture Land Act was also introduced.
 1938- The Philippine National Assembly passed Act 383,
which prohibited the dumping into rivers of garbage
 The Pacific War of 1941 disrupted regular life for most parts
of the Asian region, especially in Southeast Asia.
 World War II brought untold destruction to the Philippines,
and the environmental damage wrought by combat has not
yet fully been assessed.
 Towards the end of the war in 1944, Osmeña headed the
Philippine government amidst a landscape of ruins..
 What seemed to be a bright future for the environment at
the eve of the Third Philippine Republic was promising but
short-lived.
 The first post-war Philippine president was facing the reality
of an economy in ruins and had to come up with suitable
programs to rebuild the country.
 Emerging from war in 1946, the Philippines was virtually
starting from scratch as the society, economy, and the
environment was at its lowest state.
 It was the infamous Parity Amendment to Article XII of the
1935 Constitution which Roxas campaigned for and
endorsed extensively during his short stint as President.
“These resources are given to us by Almighty God not for
future generations alone, but for our generations as well.
And don’t deceive yourselves,…. future generations will
condemn us for not developing these resources….” - Roxas
  A closer look at laws passed during his term however, do not say
much about his concern for the environment, except for
appropriating public funds for infrastructure and irrigation; and
issuing guidelines for using lands for residential purposes.

▪ “Very few countries have done what we did in 1946 when we

amended the Constitution…. We did that because of our faith and
loyalty and of the assurance from the United States that the country
would be helpful to us as we rise from our prostration. We did it
because America was then the sovereign power, although she did not
impose it, and she made us understand that if given the opportunity
to help develop our natural resources and public utilities, she would
greatly help in stabilizing our economy.” - Quirino
 The administration has little to show with regards to
policies toward the environment.
 Water became a central focus of his policies but this was
largely in terms of infrastructure and power generation.
 He supported irrigation of agricultural lands but at the
same time encouraged the setting up of industrial centers.
 NARRA (National Resettlement and Rehabilitation
Administration).
 Agricultural Tenancy Act
 Forestry Bureau
 National Parks and Wildlife Commission
 National Waterworks and Sewerage Authority
 Tagaytay Development Commission
 A Five-Year Development Program of Livestock Farming was
prepared by the Bureau of Animal Industry, but policies are
geared basically for increasing the animals’ “meat, milk and
eggs” production.
 Industrialization programs pushed by Roxas, Quirino and
Magsaysay did not give much thought to impact on the
environment – priority was on economic development,
providing jobs and building up the Philippine economy.
 Carlos P. Garcia was known for his “Filipino First” policy. He
encouraged his countrymen to choose and use Philippine-made
products over US-made items which had flooded the Philippine
markets.
 Another legislation, RA 2056 dated June 13, 1958, “prohibited
the construction of dams, dikes and other public works over
public navigable waters and communal fishing grounds”.
 In the 1960s, there was increasing interest and concern
regarding pollution in the world, notably air and water pollution,
and these became a common topic in conferences, books,
articles.
 RA 4003 was passed, regulating pollution of Philippine waters,
giving responsibility to Bureau of Fisheries.
 Macapagal was able to win grassroots support, take a first-
hand look at the problems at the barrio level, and familiarize
himself with the actual physical and socio-economic
condition of the country.
 Forest conservation, long-recognized since the
Commonwealth as vital to economic growth and
development, was reiterated in the Macapagal
administration.
 It was the fishing industry, long-ignored and neglected by
previous administrations, was given attention to
 A dredging program of Central Luzon rivers, river-pollution
control, and prosecution of users of dynamite in fishing.
 Institution of agencies to monitor air quality and pollution in
the rapidly-industrializing economy.
 RA 4136 - Land Transportation and Traffic Code
 RA 3931 - National Water and Air Pollution Control
Commission, (later renamed National Pollution Control
Commission)

“We must insure the conservation and wise use of our rich
natural resources so that the future generation may also
benefit from them. Forests, mines, soil, and fishery resources
are our valuable assets which must be protected from
wanton destruction…. “ - Macapagal
 It was during the Marcos administration that a comprehensive
government policy for the environment was finally clearly
spelled out and implemented.
 1973 Constitution, Article XIV (The National Economy and the
Patrimony of the Nation), Section 8 – 11 :
▪ “Sec. 8. All lands of the public domain, waters, minerals, coal, petroleum
and other mineral oils, all forces of potential energy, fisheries, wildlife and
other natural resources of the Philippines belong to the State… natural
resources shall not be alienated, and no license, concession, or lease for
the exploration, development,, exploitation, or utilization of any of the
natural resources shall be granted for a period exceeding 25 years…
▪ “Sec. 9. The disposition, exploration, development, exploitation, or
utilization of any of the natural resources of the Philippines shall be limited
to the citizens of the Philippines, or to corporations or associations at least
60 per centum of the capital of which is owned by such citizens…
▪ “Sec. 10. Lands of the public domain are classified into agricultural,
industrial or commercial, residential, resettlement, mineral, timber, or
forest, and grazing lands, and such other classes as may be provided by
law.
▪ “Sec. 11. The Batasang Pambansa [National Legislature], taking into
account conservation, ecological, and development requirements of the
natural resources, shall determine by law the size of the lands of the
public domain which may be developed, held or acquired by, or leased to,
any qualified individual, corporation, or association…
 Presidential Decree No. 1151 dated June 6, 1977, otherwise
known as the Philippine Environmental Policy Decree,
recognizes the right of the people to a healthful environment.
 It lays down the policy of the state
▪ (a) to create, develop, maintain, and improve conditions under which
man and nature can thrive in productive and enjoyable harmony with
each other;
▪ (b) to fulfill the social, economic, and other requirements of present and
future generations of Filipinos; and
▪ (c) to ensure the attainment of an environmental quality that is
conducive to a life of dignity and well-being.
 Presidential Decree 1152, otherwise known as the Philippine
Environment Code, launched a comprehensive program on
environmental protection and management. It also provided
for air, water quality, land use, natural resources and waste
management.
 Presidential Decree 1121 created the National Environmental
Protection Council. It was this decree which first broached
the institution of the Environmental Impact Assessment
(EIA) system. The NEPC was empowered to review
environmental impact assessments of projects submitted by
government agencies.
▪ Republic Act No. 4850creating the Laguna Lake Devt.
Authority (1966)

▪ Republic Act No. 6234 creating the MWSS (1971)

▪ Executive Order No. 365, s. 1972 creating the Caliraya Devt.

Commission.

▪ PD No. 281 creating a Pasig River Development Council

(1973)

▪ PD No. 461 reorganizing the Department of Agriculture and

Natural Resources into two departments, namely, the
Department of Agriculture and the Department of Natural
Resources. (1974)
▪ RA No. 3601 creating the National Irrigation Administration (1974)
▪ PD No. 600 for the prevention and control of marine pollution (1974)
▪ PD No. 602 establishing Oil Pollution Operations Center under the
Philippine Coast Guard Headquarters (1974)
▪ LOI No. 198 detailing the Bicol River Basin Program (1976)
▪ PD No. 1041 creating the Natural Resources Management Center in the
DNR. (1976)
▪ LOI No. 422 creating the Inter-Agency Committee for environmental
protection programs (1976)
▪ PD 984: National Pollution Control Decree, creates National Pollution
Control Commission. (1976)
▪ LOI No. 549 ordering the establishment of an administrative system for
the evaluation of the environmental impact of projects and the creation
of inter-agency task forces to conduct environmental researches (1977)
▪ LOI No. 553 creating an Inter-Agency Action Committee to enforce
environmental protection and pollution control laws (1977).
 Aquino issued Executive Order No. 131 which named the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources to
replace the Ministry of Natural Resources.

 It was declared a policy of the state to ensure the judicious

use, development, management, renewal, and conservation
of the country's forests, mineral, land, water, including
marine waters, and other natural resources, including the
protection and enhancement of the quality of the
environment
 In 1987, Executive Order No. 192 was issued. It declared the
policy of the state to ensure the sustainable use,
development, management, renewal and conservation of
the country's various natural resources, including the
protection and enhancement of the quality of the
environment and equitable access of the different segments
of the population to them – the word sustainable now being
made part of official policy

▪ Environmental Management Bureau - is in charge of recommending

rules and regulations vis-a-vis environmental impact assessments
implementation and monitoring.
 In the Philippine Constitution of 1987, Article XII (National
Economy and Patrimony), Sec. 2 reiterated that all natural
resources in the country belongs to the State and is
inalienable.
 In Sec. 3, land classification was broadened to include
national parks.
 Sec. 4 tasks Congress to pass laws defining the boundaries of
forest lands and national parks, after which such places
should be conserved.
 Sec. 6 assures protection of ancestral lands and tasks
Congress to formulate laws to secure the rights of cultural
groups claiming domain over such lands.
 Section 26 of Local Goverment Code states that
"it shall be the duty of every national agency or government-owned
or -controlled corporation authorizing or involved in the planning
and implementation of any project or program that may cause
pollution, climatic change, depletion of non-renewable resources,
loss of cropland, range land, or forest cover, and extinction of animal
or plant species, to consult with the local government units, NGOs,
and other sectors concerned and explain the goals and objectives
of their project or program, its impact upon the people and the
community in terms of environmental or ecological balance, and the
measures that will be undertaken to prevent and minimize the
adverse effects thereof."
 The Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Waste
Control Act of 1990 prevents the entry and/or transit as well
as the storage and disposal of hazardous and nuclear wastes
in the Philippines.
 The National Integrated Protected Areas Systems Act of
1992 is primarily concerned with the protection of the
country's diminishing natural resources.
▪ The law mandates the creation of these protected areas which are
identified portions of land and water set aside by reason of their
unique physical and biological significance, their management to
enhance biological diversity, and their protection against destructive
human exploitation.
 Fidel V. Ramos included the issue of environmentalism in his
campaign platform in 1992.
 The policy of the state was to ensure that “optimum
economic development shall be achieved without delay and
shall be pursued consistent with the principles of sustainable
development.”
 The Indigenous Peoples Right Act of 1997 (R.A. 8371) was
signed by Ramos.
▪ This is an act to recognize, protect and promote the rights of
indigenous communities.
▪ This act also created the National Commission of Indigenous People.

 In 1998, Ramos signed R.A. 8550 known as The Philippine

Fisheries Code of 1998.
▪ The act provided grounds for the development, management and
conservation of the fisheries and aquatic resources.
 Other environment laws and acts signed in
his time:
▪ R.A. 8048- Coconut Preservation Act of 1995
▪ R.A. 8041- The Water Crisis Act of 1995
▪ R.A. 7942- Philippine Mining Act of 1995
▪ R.A. 7611- Strategic Environmental Plan for
Palawan Act
 R.A. 8749 known as the Clean Air Act of 1999.

▪ This act bans the use of incineration as a waste disposal option and
regulates emissions from industrial and mobile sources.
 Her administration created the Office of the Environmental
Ombudsman to address the complaints against public officials
who fail to enforce the country’s environmental laws.

 R.A. 9175 known as Chain Saw Act of 2002

 R.A. 9147 known as The Wildlife Resources Conservation and

Protection Act

 Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000

 The Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 (R.A. 9275) was
signed on March 22, 2004.

▪ It provided a comprehensive water quality management guidelines.