PERCEPTION OF THE RESIDENTS OF SOFRONIO ESPAÑOLA, PALAWAN

ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF R.A 9175 OTHERWISE KNOWN AS

CHAINSAW ACT

An Undergraduate Thesis Presented to

The Faculty of College of Arts and Humanities
Palawan State University
Puerto Princesa City

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the

Degree Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

By:

Guilaran, Jesther Xanne S.

Ruhen, Reyna Michelle U.
Suyu, Winky B.

March 2021
 APPROVAL

This thesis entitled "Perception of the Residents of Sofronio Española, Palawan on

the Effectiveness of R.A 9175 (Otherwise known as Chainsaw Act)" prepared and
submitted by Jesther Xannes, S. Guilaran, Reyna Michelle U. Ruhen, and Winky B. Suyu
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Political
Science is hereby recommended for acceptance.

__________________________ ______________________________

Zorelle V. Alanis-Siores, MA Jazelle Dyana Lizz G. Zerrudo, MA

Adviser Instructor

Approved by the Committee on Oral Examination with a grade of _____________.

____________________________

Aileen Joy A. Pactao, MA

___________________ ___________________

Cristine L. Pingal , MA Jackielyn S. Abela

Accepted and approved as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.

____________________________

Restie Allan A. Puno, MAED

Dean, College of Arts in Humanities

ii
 ABSTRACT
Guilaran, Jesther Xanne S., Ruhen, Reyna Michelle U., and Suyu, Winky B. Perception
of the Residents of Sofronio Española, Palawan on the Effectiveness of R.A 9175
(Otherwise known as Chainsaw Act). Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, March 2021.
Adviser: Zorelle V. Alanis-Siores
Objectives: This study addressed the issue on the effectiveness of the municipal
government of Sofronio Española in addressing the illegal-logging practices present in
their municipality that may bring a massive forest loss through the implementation of the
anti-illegal logging policy, specifically the violations of R.A No. 9175 otherwise the
Chainsaw Act by analyzing the perceptions of the selected residents of Sofronio Española
regarding the implementation of the aforementioned environmental law.
Framework: Ostrom’s (2005) Institutional analysis using Rational-Choice
Institutionalism Model “A Framework for Institutional analysis” is a general language for
analyzing and testing hypotheses about behavior. Moreover, the New Institutionalism
theory helps to construe the relationship between institutions and behavior, and how to
explain the process whereby institutions originated or changed. In this study, R.A No.
9175 otherwise known as the Chainsaw Act served as an exogenous variable that
evaluates the effectiveness of the policy implementation of the Local Government Unit in
Sofronio Española. Analyzing the perceptions (interactions category) of the local officials
and local residents of the mentioned policy has also a major contribution in evaluating the
outcome of the policy being implemented.
Methods: This study employed a quantitative method that uses different statistical tools
such as frequency counts, weighted mean, and T-test to analyze the effectiveness of the
anti-illegal logging policy in Sofronio Española.
Findings: As revealed in this study, both sets of respondents, the Local Officials with
76.8% and Local Residents with 72.62%, are aware of the implementation of Anti-Illegal
Logging Policy or R.A No. 9175. The data also revealed that both of the respondents’
perceptions on the implementation of the Anti-Illegal Logging Policy by the Local Task
Force are effective with 89.05 and 76%. Moreover, since t-stat [-0.778079484] is less
than the t-critical (two-tail) [1.987934206] and the p-value [0.438657576] is greater than
α = 0.05, the research showed that there is a failure to reject the null hypothesis, thus, the
study revealed that there is no significant difference on the perceptions of the Local
Officials and Local Residents on the implementation of Anti-Illegal Logging Policy on
the aspect of Level of Awareness and Level of Effectiveness.
Recommendations: It is recommended that the LGU’s implementation should be
improved. According to the data gathered, only 69.4 percent of residents are aware of the
20% reward offered to any voluntary informer of any illegal logging-related activities
they may witness to the authorities, so officials are advised to promote this provision to
the remaining 80-90 percent of the population. This also suggests that potential academic
scholars conduct a follow-up study on the factors influencing citizens' perceptions and
positions on any detrimental actions impacting environmental protection. Finally, it is
suggested that political science research endeavors in the College of Arts and Humanities
perform parallel studies in other municipalities.

iii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Many people contributed to the success of this study, thus, the researchers wish to
express their heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of them.
First and foremost, the researchers want to thank Almighty God for the wisdom, strength,
peace of mind, and good health that he has bestowed upon them in order for them to
complete this research.
The researchers would like to express their gratitude to their families for the
encouragement which helped them in the completion of this paper. To their beloved and
supportive friends and classmates, who assisted in the creation of this study and continue
to inspire them to pursue it despite the numerous obstacles they have experienced.
The researchers are highly indebted to PSU College of Arts and Humanities Faculty for
their guidance and constant supervision as well as for providing necessary information
regarding this research and for their support in completing this endeavor.
The researchers would like to thank their research adviser, Prof. Zorelle V. Alanis-Siores
for imparting her knowledge and expertise in this study.
The researchers would also like to express their sincerest gratitude to the distinguished
members of the panel, headed by Ms. Aileen Joy A. Pactao, Ms. Cristine L. Pingal, and
Prof. Jackielyn S. Abela for the approval of their work and to their research subject
adviser, Ms. Jazelle Dyana Lizz G. Zerrudo.
The researchers’ thanks and appreciation also go to each group member who willingly
helped and contributed to the completion of this research paper.

iv
 DEDICATION
This research is wholeheartedly dedicated to our loving parents, who have always been a
source of inspiration and strength when we were on the verge of giving up, and who
continue to provide moral, spiritual, emotional, and financial support. This paper would
not have been accomplished without their love and support.
This research is also dedicated to our brothers, sisters, relatives, mentors, friends, and
classmates who helped us along the way with their words of guidance and
encouragement. We greatly valued their time and effort in helping us.
Lastly, we dedicated this research paper to the Almighty God. Thank you for the
guidance, power of the mind, protection, skills, and wisdom, and for giving us a healthy
life. We offer all of these to you.

v
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
TITLE PAGE ………. i
APPROVAL ………. ii
ABSTRACT ………. iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ………. iv
DEDICATION ………. v
TABLE OF CONTENTS ………. vi
LIST OF TABLES ………. viii
LIST OF FIGURES ………. ix
LIST OF APPENDICES ………. x
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ………. 1
Statement of the Problem ………. 4
Scope and Delimitation ………. 5
Significance of the Study ………. 7
CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF RELATED
LITERATURE AND STUDIES
Related Literature and Studies ………. 9
Theoretical Framework ………. 19
Research paradigm ………. 20
Definition of Terms ………. 22
CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Design ………. 24
Data Collection Method ………. 25
Research Participants ………. 26
Research Locale ………. 28

vi
 Data Analysis Strategy ………. 28
CHAPTER 4 PRESENTATION OF DATA AND ANALYSIS
Demographic Profile of the Respondents ………. 31
Analysis and Discussion ………. 36
CHAPTER 5 SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATION
Summary of Findings ………. 51
Conclusion ………. 52
Recommendations ………. 53
REFERENCES ………. 54
APPENDICES ………. 63

vii
 LIST OF TABLES
1. Table 1.a Level of Awareness of the Local Officials on the Implementation of RA
9175 (Otherwise known as Chainsaw Act) ………. 38
2. Table 1.b Perceived Level of Effectiveness of the Local Officials on the
Implementation of R.A 9175 (Otherwise known as Chainsaw Act) ………. 41
3. Table 2.a Level of Awareness of the Local Residents on the Implementation of R.A
9175 (Otherwise known as Chainsaw Act) ………. 44
4. Table 2.b Perceived Level of Effectiveness of the Local Residents on the
Implementation of R.A 9175 (Otherwise known as Chainsaw Act) ………. 47
5. Table 3 Significant Difference Between the Perceptions of Local Officials and the
Local Residents on the Effectiveness of the Implementation of R.A 9175 (Otherwise
known as Chainsaw Act) ………. 49

viii
 LIST OF FIGURES
1. Tree Cover Loss in Sofronio Española ………. 16
2. Ostrom’s (2005) Institutional analysis using Rational-Choice Institutionalism Model
“A Framework for Institutional analysis” Source: Adapted from E. Ostrom, Gardner and
Walker (1994) ………. 20
3. Base Map of Sofronio Española ………. 28
4. Gender Distribution of the Respondents ………. 31
5. Age Distribution of the Respondents ………. 32
6. Education Distribution of the Respondents ………. 33
7. Occupation Distribution of the Respondents ………. 33
8. Years of Residency Distribution of the Respondents ………. 34
9. Barangay Distribution of the Respondents ………. 35

ix
 LIST OF APPENDICES
1. Survey Questionnaire ………. 63
2. Formal Letters ………. 68
3. Statistical Treatments ………. 75
4. Curriculum Vitae of Researchers ………. 79
5. Documentations ………. 82

x
 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Overview. This chapter introduces the background of the study, statement of the

problem, research questions, significance of the study, and scope and delimitation.

1.2 Background of the Study

Forests are one of the Philippines' most valuable natural resources. They provide a

range of ecosystem services, including food crops, livestock, and fish, as well as

recreational opportunities. It also serves as a significant carbon sink and is vital for

biological conservation and environmental protection, locations for education and

research, habitat for indigenous flora and fauna, and resettlement areas. In addition, it

also offers watershed protection, prevents soil erosion, and mitigates climate change. In

fact, without its existence, there will be little prospect of human survival. The most

important reason for humanity to safeguard and maintain it is that it is the most valuable

source of life. (Philippine forest, 2015).

However, due to the Philippines' constant population growth and other factors, the

once majestic primary forest is now experiencing a massive forest loss. In fact, the

Philippines is one of the most severely deforested countries in the tropics, with most

deforestation occurring in the last 40 years, and felonious human usage and consumptions

are to blame for such a decline in forest rating, with widespread illegal logging being one

of the biggest contributors to this issue (Walpole, 2011).

 As a result, the Philippine government developed and implemented anti-illegal

logging policies, large-scale reforestation and rehabilitation programs and activities, and

established a task force to address the country's substantial deforestation and conserve its

forest resources. One of those policies is the R.A No. 9175 otherwise known as the

Chainsaw Act. This is an act regulating the ownership, possession, sale, importation, and

use of chainsaws, penalizing violations thereof and for other purposes. It is the policy of

the State, consistent with the Constitution, to conserve, develop and protect the forest

resources under sustainable management pursuing an aggressive forest protection

program geared towards eliminating illegal logging activities. The government entrusted

most of the local government units as an institution to strictly monitor any anti-illegal

logging acts within their jurisdiction, and with their help, all laws and policies crafted by

the national government will be put into a stronger or more effective execution which

aims to lessen the extensive illegal logging and deforestation (Tacconi et al., 2003).

Institutions in local level play a major role in the implementation process of a

policy. The effectiveness of any law crafted by the bureaucrats will only be recognized as

a successful one, if the agencies, task forces, departments assigned, or the institutions

involved as actors to implement the policies are doing a good performance or otherwise.

Teng et al. (2007) argued that successful policy implementation was dependent on

good linkages between different levels of government and organizations at the local level.

The overall effectiveness of policy implementation is also determined by understanding

the purpose for which policy implementation takes place. Proper planning leads to good

practices, and their implementation results in better performance that provides feedback

for policy and decision-makers (Pradhan et al., 2017).

2
 In line with this, analyzing the perceptions of both local residents and policy

implementers is one of the best methods for establishing a foundation for how

communities evaluate the policy implementation process, the performance of the

implementers, and whether further intervention is required for a better outcome.

Overall, understanding the perspectives of the communities involved in the

implementation and their perceptions about certain impacts is valuable for those

developing and designing future interventions which aim to improve the local

environment and policy implementation. It also helps in understanding the role and

impact of community engagement approaches in this type of intervention (Adams, 2018).

Tracking the perception of the people is very significant in evaluating the present

scenario, making the government system more reliable and constant when it has been

derived from experiences. Thus, the analysis of the residents’ perception of the

effectiveness of implementing the anti-illegal logging law is vital in making the

municipality sustainable.

Based on the premise stated, the aim of this paper is to determine the

effectiveness of the local government units tasked with enforcing R.A. 9175, also known

as the Chainsaw Act, in the municipality of Sofronio Española in the southern part of

Palawan, by knowing the perceptions of local officials and residents, as well as analyzing

the significant differences between the two groups of respondents.

3
1.3 Statement of the Problem

This study examined the effectiveness of the municipal government of Sofronio

Española on the implementation of the anti-illegal logging policy, specifically the

violations of R.A No. 9175 otherwise the Chainsaw Act, by analyzing the perceptions of

the selected residents of Sofronio Española regarding its implementation.

Specifically, this research aims to address the following questions:

1. What is the perception of the local officials of Sofronio Española on the

effectiveness of the implementation of RA No. 9175 (otherwise known as

Chainsaw Act)?

2. What is the perception of the local residents of Sofronio Española on the

effectiveness of the implementation of RA No. 9175 (otherwise known as

Chainsaw Act)?

3. Is there a significant difference between the perception of the local officials

and local residents on the effectiveness of the implementation of RA No. 9175

(otherwise known as Chainsaw Act)?

4
1.4 Scope and Delimitations

This study focuses on knowing the perception of the respondents on the

effectiveness of the implementation of R.A 9175 otherwise known as Chainsaw Act

which challenged the effectiveness of the municipality when it comes to good governance

as well as the capability and accountability of the administration in delivering services to

the residents of Sofronio Española, Palawan.

The researchers limit its respondents from ages eighteen (18) years old and above

who are local officials (limited to implementers) of the municipality and the selected

local residents residing from four (4) barangays namely Brgy. Iraray, Brgy. Panitian,

Brgy. Pulot Center, and Brgy. Punang. These barangays are chosen through a cluster

sampling method. Cluster sampling was used to select these barangays. The researchers

chose these respondents based on numerous demographic data points in order to get

appropriate responses. Age, education, occupation, and address are some of the key

indicators that these people live in forestry areas where illegal logging is taking place.

A survey questionnaire was used to collect data, and it was separated into

numerous sections. The first section contains the demographic profile of the respondents,

while the second section contains closed-ended questions that reveal the respondents'

perceptions. The residents of Sofronio Española, Palawan, were surveyed using a four-

point Likert scale (4-Strongly Agree; 3- Agree; 2- Disagree; 1-Strongly Disagree) to

determine the effectiveness of the anti-illegal logging policy implementation. This

instrument is a researcher-structured questionnaire that has been validated by experts

such as panels, where the researchers have constructed instruments that are timely and

relevant to present situations, based on the provisions of DENR A.O 2003-24.

5
 Additionally, the researchers began conducting this study in March 2021 and

expected it to be completed in January 2022. However, due to restrictions of the whole

province on traveling brought by the pandemic, the researchers are aware of the

challenges and struggles in data gathering that might affect the analysis of the study.

6
1.5 Significance of the Study

This study was conducted to find out the perception of the residents of Sofronio

Española on the effectiveness of implementing the anti-illegal logging policy within their

municipality which contains laws prohibiting illegal logging and others. Furthermore, the

findings of this study were used to determine the success of implementing R.A. 9175

based on the self-awareness and experience of the collectively shared identity of both

local officials and local citizens of Sofronio Española. The following sectors are likely to

benefit from this study:

Municipality of Sofronio Española. By sending them a copy of this paper, this

could help the community of Sofronio Española to be more aware of the challenges that

the municipality is facing. This study will serve as an eye opener, educating the

community about the effectiveness of enacting R.A. 9175 and making them aware that

they should follow all policies to protect their environment, as it demonstrates evidence

that will help them understand and open their minds about the benefits of being informed

about the policy.

Municipal Officials of Sofronio Española. Through its results and

recommendations, this paper will serve as a guide for Sofronio Española officials to gain

a better understanding of the effectiveness of policies and/or laws in achieving the

common good for the betterment of the community. In these pilot sites, there is a need to

improve environmental and natural resource management. It is necessary to undertake

policy evaluation or assessment in order to identify problems and concerns that may

affect the community.

7
 Palawan State University Students. This paper can contribute to the existing

localized body of knowledge of the university about the perceived effectiveness of

implementing policies. Specifically, the Program Extension Unit of the College of Arts

and Humanities, can use this paper as a basis for possible programs, interventions, or

initiatives to help the Municipality of Sofronio Española to learn more about various

strategies that can be used or utilized in administering their functions during the

implementation of policies about illegal logging. This paper will also take the lead to the

conduct of programs by extension agents through participation in any extension activities,

seminars, frequent meetings, and Political Science immersions.

Future Researchers. Despite the fact that this research is limited to the

municipality of Sofronio Española, it can be a useful reference for future researchers,

particularly political science students, who plan to conduct a research on the perceived

effectiveness of implementing policies in various municipalities and provinces. It would

serve as a background reference for future researchers conducting follow-up studies,

benchmark studies, and reviews of related literature, as well as an aid in developing and

improving their topic. They would have a vast range of knowledge regarding people's

perceptions.

8
 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

2.1 Overview. This chapter presents the review of related literature and relevant studies,

theoretical framework, research paradigm, research hypothesis, and definition of terms.

2.2 Review of Related Literature

This section presents the review of related literature and studies. It is divided into

four themes namely: (a) the existence of illegal logging; (b) role of the government; and

(c) perceptions.

2.2.1 The Existence of Illegal Logging

The term ‘illegal logging’ is often used to refer to a range of illegal activities

affecting the forest and the people who depend on it. It is therefore useful to consider the

meaning of this concept. A clear, practical, and accepted definition of legality is required

for each country as the basis of market instruments, such as verification of legality, and

for law enforcement. There are many challenges in developing such a definition of

legality, such as drawing a line between a significant offence and a minor transgression

and conflicts between customary and formal laws (Dykstra et al., 2002).

Illegal forest activities include all illegal acts that relate to forest ecosystems,

forest-related industries, and timber and non-timber forest products. According to

Tacconi et al. (2003), these activities include acts that violate forest land rights, corrupt

activities to obtain forest concessions, and activities at all stages of forest management

and the forest goods production chain, from planning stages to harvesting and transport of

9
raw materials and finished products to financial management. Violations of forest

management regulations in either public or private forestlands are acts against forest

legislation. This is the category that includes most of the acts that may be most

appropriately referred to as ‘illegal logging’. For initiatives aimed at addressing illegal

forest activities, or, more specifically, illegal logging, it may be inappropriate, however,

to take the existing law as given in situations in which the law itself does not have broad

social and institutional acceptance. Therefore, to understand fully the problem and

possible solutions, the analysis needs to consider existing forestry and other laws, the

type of activities infringing the law, and the social and economic causes of these

activities (Dykstra et al., 2002).

Global rates of illegal logging have been reducing, however, they remain

alarming among timber-producing countries (Smith, 2002 & Guertin, 2003). Over 80-

million-meter cubes (m3) of illegally logged timber comes from nine timber-producing

countries within the tropics (Nabuurs, 2018). The negative ecological impact of illegal

logging is well enshrined theoretically and its incidence has equally been reported in

many studies (Guertin, 2003 & Nguyen et al., 2020). Human-induced greenhouse gas

emissions from forest clearance and degradation represent 12–20%, of which illegal

logging is a significant contributor (Hoare, 2015). Illegal logging contributes to loss of

biodiversity especially when certain species are highly logged; this has resulted in

mahogany and tropical cedar being at risk of extinction in Indonesia (Verchenkova et al.,

2019 & Smith et al., 2014). The loss or reduction of forest cover is accompanied by

subsequent loss of environmental services and the carbon sequestration capacity of

10
forests is heavily reduced (Reboredo, 2013). The harvesting of industrial round wood

removes over 420 million tons of carbon from the global forest (Guertin, 2003).

Illegal logging has been extensively investigated in developed countries, South

America and Asia with focus on illegal trade of timber and related activities (Nguyen et

al., 2020 & Smith et al., 2014) . According to Puzon et al. (2011), tropical forests produce

more carbon from the atmosphere than they can absorb, losing their status as a carbon

sink. They pointed out that the process of removing small sections of trees in parts of the

forest is not visible on satellite images, yet a large amount of carbon is lost. The majority

of these trees are cut down unlawfully, resulting in a considerable loss in the forest's

carbon storage potential (Baccini et al., 2017). Related studies on the ecological impacts

of illegal logging in developing countries are rare, particularly on how institutional

quality and governance affect carbon emission.

The Philippines is one of the most deforested countries in the tropics, with the

majority of deforestation occurring in the previous 40 years. According to FAO

estimates, the Philippines lost a third of its forest cover between 1990 and 2005. Forest

cover in the Philippines in 1900 was 21 million hectares, covering 70 percent of the total

land area. However, deforestation in the country has decreased since the 1980s and

1990s. Forests comprised 5.5 million hectares in 1999, with only 800,000 hectares of

primary forest. As illegal logging continues, the remaining forest is endangered (Walpole,

2011).

Much of the past forest loss in the Philippines was caused by widespread logging.

Despite government bans on timber harvesting enacted in the aftermath of catastrophic

11
flooding in the late 1980s and early 1990s, illegal logging persists today. Following the

temporary removal of the log export ban in the late 1990s, the government has become

more aggressive in combating timber smuggling and forest degradation. Legal and illegal

mining operations also pose a threat to Philippine forests, as they pollute the environment

and have been related to violent conflict, agricultural fires, fuelwood collection, and rural

population expansion. Soil erosion, river siltation, flooding, and drought have all been

linked to deforestation in recent years, and environmental awareness is growing in the

country (Butler, 2014).

The country’s forests were largely deforested within the 1970s and converted into

agricultural areas in late 1970s and 1980s. The forests and deforestation became a serious

focus of democratization and biodiversity preservation movements in the 1990s (Bernas

et al, 1999). Deforestation affects upland and lowland communities and causes many

problems including increased open access, marginalization of the uplands, migration of

lowlanders to the uplands, inadequate livelihood opportunities within the uplands,

decreasing forest productivity, increased erosion and siltation, loss of biodiversity, and

deterioration of watersheds. The impetus for the huge deforestation includes inconsistent

policies, resource allocation that favors the rich and politically influential, illegal cutting,

and a centralized and ineffective bureaucracy.

2.2.2 Role of the government

According to Woodrow Wilson (1887), policy-making was the function of the

political executive while policy implementation was the concern of the permanent executive.

He stated that the field of administration is a field of business. A number of scholars held

12
similar views regarding the differences in the roles of political administration. In recent times,

the relationship between politics and administration has taken a new turn and interpretation.

Based on practical experience, it has been concluded that there cannot be a separation between

politics and administration in terms of governmental functioning as represented in policies

established and implemented. Good policies can only be good if they are executed

successfully and achieve the goals for which they were created. As a result, governmental

institutions' implementation performance has a significant impact on policy outcomes or

results (Bartwal et. al., 2008).

In terms of the Philippine government, it is mandated to formulate policies through its

legislative branch and to implement policies through its executive branch, which is made up of

various departments assigned to each task that must be completed under their jurisdiction, as

well as with the assistance of local government units to further implement laws, policies, and

regulations aligned with the national government and constitution. (Philippine Constitution,

1987).

Because the local government unit is one of the institutions established by the

Philippine constitution to carry out laws that are aligned with the constitution and other

national or local policies developed by Philippine lawmakers for the benefit of the

Filipino people, this study wishes to address the issue on the effectiveness of the local

government unit on addressing the massive loss of forest within their jurisdiction through

implementation of anti-illegal logging policy, focusing on the municipality of Sofronio

Espanola, located at the southern part of Palawan.

13
Why Palawan?

Palawan is one of the provinces where some portions have been designated as

protected areas, owing to its reputation as the "best island in the world.", also known or

referred to as the Philippines' last ecological frontier. It is the Philippines' largest

province by land area, with twenty-one (21) municipalities, the country's largest forest

cover, and two World Heritage sites, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River in the

provincial capital and the Tubbataha Reef in Cagayancillo. Palawan is also endowed with

a species-rich, biologically diverse ecosystem, with teeming jungles, tousled mangroves,

wetlands, and vivid coral reefs. The island is home to 232 endemic species, making it one

of the world's most diverse ecosystems (Manila Times, 2016). Palawan's unique traits are

the key reasons why both the national and local governments sought to safeguard the

province.

However, despite the existence of stringent environmental laws that protect

Palawan from detrimental environmental activities, deforestation continues to occur.

According to data from Global Forest Watch (GFW), more than 6% of Palawan's forest

cover has been lost since 2001, and as humans raze the island's extensive forests for

development, many animals, including 27 endemic bird species, 19 types of land

mammals, and 24 types of reptiles, are facing massive population declines, as are the

endemic floras found only on the island (Panelo, 2014).

Environmentalists and scientists from both the local and national levels have

stated that the island is facing numerous environmental challenges and land conversion

due to human population growth, logging, and even a large palm plantation, as well as

ongoing quarrying and mining activities (Panelo, 2014).

14
 Illegal logging, slash-and-burn, mining, and palm-oil plantation are all rampant in

the municipality of Sofronio Española, Palawan (Mallari, 2014). Illegal logging is one of

the largest causes of forest cover loss, according to a spokesperson from a Palawan-based

NGO, followed by mining and palm oil plantations (Badilla, 2014).

According to Global Forest Watch, Sofronio Espanola lost 969ha of humid

primary forest between 2002 and 2020, accounting for 12% of the overall tree cover loss

during that time period. From 2001 to 2020, the total area of humid primary forest in

Sofronio Española dropped by 14%, resulting in a 23% decrease in tree cover and 2.80

million tons of CO2 emissions. Sofronio Española has 24.9 kilometers of natural forest in

2010, covering 73% of its total area. It lost 556 hectares of natural forest in 2020,

resulting in 191 kt of CO2 emissions. The Stockholm Environmental Institute’s study

also cited instances in which local residents reported oil palm farms affecting forest and

coconut groves.

Figure 1: Source Globalforestwatch.org

15
 The local government units play a crucial role on implementing and putting the

law into action. The 1987 Philippine Constitution mandates in Article II, Section 16 that

“the State shall protect and advance the proper of the people to a balanced and healthful

ecology in accordance with the harmony of nature.” The Constitution adopted the

Regalian Doctrine and empowered Congress to work out by law the precise limits of

forestlands and national parks. The State has the proper to undertake on its own the event

and utilization of natural resources, or enter into co-production, venture or production

agreements to realize sustainable development and natural resources conservation

objectives (Argete, 1998).

In fact, The DILG Secretary himself stated that all LGUs and PNP units must

reactivate their local Anti-Illegal Logging Task Forces in coordination with the

Provincial and Community Environment and Natural Resources Office of the DENR. The

Task Forces were created under Executive Order 23, s. 2011 composed of the DENR,

DILG, DND, AFP, PNP and the LGUs. “All LGUs must reactivate their local Anti-

Illegal Logging Task Force and be decisive in implementing the anti-illegal logging

campaign and implementation of environmental laws and programs within their

localities,” he stated. He also directed the PNP to set up checkpoints and arrest illegal

loggers who violate the Revised Forestry Code with strict emphasis on Section 79

stipulating the “Unlawful Occupation or Destruction of Forest Lands and Grazing Lands”

(DILG News, 2020).

The ability of governments to identify and manage illegal logging is critical to the

effectiveness of forest sector policies and efforts (Lima et al., 2018). In Palawan, the

16
municipality of Sofronio Española represents the province and its challenges with

deforestation and other forms of environmental degradation.

With the previously presented laws and policies, This paper aims to determine the

effectiveness of Sofronio Española's local government unit in enforcing anti-illegal

logging policies within their jurisdiction, as well as any ordinances, resolutions, or

policies crafted by the local government unit that contain laws prohibiting illegal logging,

and to determine the recent status of their forests, among other things, by examining any

resolutions, ordinances, or policies crafted by the local government unit as well as by

analyzing the perceptions of the selected residents of Sofronio Española regarding the

stated subject so that appropriate interventions or strategies can be done after mapping

the status or condition of the issue.

2.2.3 Importance of People’s Perceptions on Implemented Policy

People's perceptions are very important in analyzing the current situation and

making the government system more dependable and consistent when it is based on

experiences. The failure to incorporate both local residents' perceptions and the

implementers' viewpoint in future protected area management and conservation policies

adds to limited conservation benefits and worsens the debate over policy effectiveness

analysis. In addition, the perception of the host community is a significant component in

the state's future policy planning, management, and development (Harun et al., 2018). As

a result, perceptions are critical for determining an institution's effectiveness in policy

execution.

17
 The perceptions and attitudes of the community towards policy implementation

have stressed the importance of understanding local residents’ views in analyzing policy

effectiveness and the factors that have influenced their reactions. According to these

scholars (Ap et al, 2000), in order to gain a host community's support for effective policy

implementation, it is critical to have a comprehensive grasp of local people's perceptions

as well as the circumstances that shaped their opinions. Residents' support is crucial

because the operation's success is dependent on their goodwill and community

participation. However, the majority of these research have mostly focused on the

perspectives of the implementers or the allocated institutions (executive department).

Relative to these findings, although there are a number of theories and models developed

in understanding the perceptions and attitudes, previous studies indicate that there is a

lack of application and modeling the theoretical foundations, particularly in the people’s

perspective (local residents).

2.3 Theoretical Frameworks

In this study, the researchers employed the New Institutionalism theory which

aids in the interpretation of the relationship between institutions and behavior, as well as

the explanation of how institutions emerge and develop. The three variants of New

Institutionalism, according to Hall and Taylor (1996), aimed to clarify the role of

institutions in determining social and political outcomes.

In order to better understand the behavior of individual political actors within

political institutions, Olsen (1995) claimed that political scientists needed to rediscover

institutional analysis. In other words, those authors claimed that researching individual

18
political behavior without looking at institutional limits on such behavior gave scholars a

distorted view of political reality.

In this study, the Local Government Unit of Sofronio Española and the delegated

task force on the implementation of the Chainsaw Act within their jurisdiction served as

the institution of which this study analyzed.

Moreover, Rational Choice Institutionalism is also a theory under New

Institutionalism that explains the behavior of actors within the organization given rules.

Thus, the perceptions of the municipal officials or task force, and the local residents of

Sofronio Española towards the effectiveness of the implementation of the Chainsaw Act

are the key behaviors that were evaluated.

Rational Choice Institutionalism, which has its roots in economics and

organizational theory, examines institutions as systems of rules and incentives. Rules are

contested so that one group of political actors can gain leverage over another. As

challengers and holders of political power pit themselves against one another, modeling

assumptions and game theory are used to explain political decision-making. It assumes

that actors have a fixed set of preferences or tastes; politics is a collective action problem

and voluntary agreement to collectively act, which will be the key theory used to evaluate

this study's effectiveness in implementing anti-illegal logging policies within their

jurisdiction.

19
 2.4 Research Paradigm

Based on the reviewed literature and relevant studies as well as theories, this is a

visual representation for a better understanding of this research:

Rules, Attribute of Action

community, Material Situations
Conditions &Participants
Interactions
{Law- Chainsaw Act
-Effectiveness on the {Perception}
implementation of the
law}

Exogenous Action Evaluative

Variables Arena Criteria

Outcome

- Law
- Perceptions of the Local Residents
- Perceptions of the Officials

Figure 2: Ostrom’s (2005) Institutional analysis using Rational-Choice

Institutionalism Model “A Framework for Institutional analysis” Source: Adapted
from E. Ostrom, Gardner and Walker (1994)
Based on Rational Choice Institutionalism Theory, the Institutional Analysis

framework is a general language for analyzing and testing hypotheses about behavior in a

variety of situations at multiple levels of analysis. It concerns analyses of how rules,

physical and material conditions, and community attributes affect the structure of action

arenas, the incentives that individuals face, and the resulting outcomes (Ostrom, 2005).

20
 In this study, R.A No. 9175 otherwise known as Chainsaw Act served as an

exogenous variable that evaluates the effectiveness of the policy implementation of the

Local Government Unit of Sofronio Española. Analyzing the perceptions (interactions

category) of the local officials and local residents of the mentioned policy has also a

major contribution in evaluating the outcome of the policy being implemented.

2.5 Research Hypothesis

1. Significant difference between the perception of the local officials and the local
residents on the effectiveness of R.A 9175 otherwise known as Chainsaw Act on
Sofronio Española.

Ho: There is no significant difference between the perceptions of the local

officials and the local residents on the effectiveness of R.A 9175 otherwise known

as Chainsaw Act on Sofronio Española.

Ha: There is a significant difference between the perceptions of the local officials

and the local residents on the effectiveness of R.A 9175 otherwise known as

Chainsaw Act on Sofronio Española.

21
2.6 Definition of Terms

The following terms are defined conceptually and operationally to provide a

better understanding of the study:

Anti-illegal logging policies/laws. These are the laws in the Philippines in which

focus on forbidding any actions related to illegal logging. In this study, it focuses on the

R.A No. 9175 otherwise known as the Chainsaw Act, an act regulating the ownership,

possession, sale, importation and use of chainsaws, penalizing violations thereof and for

other purposes.

Perceived Effectiveness. It refers to the successful policy implementation,

whereas the goals of the policy were successfully achieved by the hosts (residents,

implementers) perceptiveness.

Illegal logging. It refers to the illegal acts that relate to forest ecosystems, forest-

related industries, and timber and non-timber forest products, however, in this study, the

researchers focused on illegal cutting of timbers, illegal transportation, trading of timbers

and using of illegal cutting machine i.e., chainsaws.

Implementation. It pertains to the executive process of the assigned institutions

on anti-illegal logging policies.

Implementers. It refers to the local institutions or departments assigned to

execute the laws, focusing on the Philippine National Police, DENR personnel or the

Bantay Gubat residing or assigned within the locale of the study, which is the

municipality of Sofronio Española, Palawan.

22
 Institution. It is an organization, establishment, foundation, society, or the like,

devoted to the promotion of a particular cause, program or goals. In this study, the

institutions involved are the government agencies specifically the DENR, PNP and LGU

of Sofronio Espanola.

Perceptions. It is the respondents’ viewpoints or standpoints on the effective

policy implementation process of the institutions.

Residents. These are locals of Sofronio Espaola who are not employed by or

affiliated with institutions involved in policy implementation, such as young and old

professionals, teachers, students, entrepreneurs, and people with a basic understanding of

Philippine anti-illegal logging regulations.

Municipality of Sofronio Española. It is the locale of the study. A municipality

that has a total population of 32, 876 and composed of nine (9) barangays, Abo-abo,

Iraray, Isumbo, Labog, Panitian, Pulot Center, Pulot Interior, Pulot Shore, Punang with a

17, 036 number of representations of four (4) randomly selected barangays as

respondents of the study.

23
 CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Overview. This chapter outlines the research design, data collection method, research

participants, research locale, and data analysis strategy.

3.2. Research Design

This research employed a quantitative method to sufficiently analyze the

effectiveness of the anti-illegal logging policy in Sofronio Española primarily from the

perspective of the local residents. The research design for this study is descriptive in

nature, with an emphasis on descriptive survey research. Its purpose is to obtain

classified, generalized, and interpreted data for the guidance or practice of researchers in

the immediate future (Walpole, 1997).

Quantitative research, according to Muijs (2004), attempts to explain a

phenomenon by collecting numerical data. The study used a cluster sampling method

followed by a random sampling approach to collect information and data for quantitative

research. The instrument was distributed by sending out questionnaires, both personal

and online, in which the data gathered from the survey was represented as quantifiable

data. Cluster sampling is a probability sampling technique in which all population

elements are categorized into mutually exclusive and exhaustive groups called cluster

(Frey, 2018). In addition, it may also be understood that quantitative methods employ

strategies of inquiries such as surveys and experiments and collect data on pre-arranged

instruments that yield statistical data (Apuke, 2017). The researchers employed survey

questionnaires to ask structured questions to the respondents.

3.3 Data Collection Method

3.3.1 Research Instrument. The instrument used is a researcher-structured

questionnaire that has been evaluated by experts such as panels. The researchers designed

instruments that are timely and relevant to current situations based on DENR A.O 2003-

24. For data collecting, survey questions were used, which essentially exposed the

respondents' ideas and viewpoints on topics closely linked to the study's purpose. For the

dissemination and formulation of the questionnaires, the researchers used technological

and online resources, notably Google forms and email, while working on actual and

physical distribution of questionnaires in the community. The researchers also conducted

a pilot testing of these questionnaire instrumentation online, to see if it would be possible

to collect all of the data from the target participants online, and if there were any issues

with the questionnaire that could lead to biased responses, they would be addressed

immediately. The first section contained the respondents' personal profiles, while the

second section contained their perceptions. The survey questionnaire includes closed-

ended questions and a four-point likert scale (4-Strongly Agree; 3- Agree; 2- Disagree; 1-

Strongly Disagree) to determine the perceptions of the residents of Sofronio Española,

Palawan's on the effectiveness of the anti-illegal logging policy's implementation.

3.3.2 Research Procedure. Before the start of the data gathering, the researchers

wrote an official letter to the Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, which was

formally documented by the Thesis Adviser, requesting permission to undertake data

gathering. This insured that the study would proceed according to the academe's

established and observed procedures.

25
 Second, to acquire consent and authorization, formal communications were issued

to appropriate authorities.

Finally, after obtaining proper consent and authority, the researchers proceeded to

gather data through survey questionnaires. Health protocols (social distancing, wearing of

mask and face shield, and hand 26 sanitization) were sufficiently and properly observed.

Moreover, an online interview (through zoom or Google meet) or phone interview was

considered an alternative if the face-to-face data gathering is not possible.

3.3.3 Ethical Rules. Before the data collection, written letters were sent to the

appropriate parties. Furthermore, a favorable response to this matter was necessary. Any

information not shared with third parties is prohibited unless both the researchers and the

participants agree. All information was kept in anonymity and with confidentiality. The

participants' involvement was entirely voluntary, and the purpose of the study was

thoroughly addressed and explained to them.

3.3.4 Materials. Mobile phones were be used for documentation purposes if the

participants allow. Letters and survey questions served as communication and data

collection tools, with a brief interview serving as an additional data source.

3.4 Research Respondents

The participants of this research are the local officials and the local residents of

the four (4) barangays of Sofronio Española, with a total population (N) of 17, 036. In

this study, The researchers used Cluster Sampling, a quantitative sampling technique that

involves sampling groups (or clusters) of population elements, selecting elements from

within those groups, and using Slovin's Formula to get the sample size.

26
 The Slovin’s formula is:

N
Sample Size (n) = 1+Ne2

Where: n = sample size N = population size e = margin of error

N
Sample Size (n) = 1+Ne2

17036
= 1+17036 (5%)2

17036
= 1+17036 (.05)2

17036
= 43.59

= 392

Using a random sample technique, the researchers were able to get 392

respondents to complete the survey questionnaire. For this survey, there are two sets of

respondents: first, local officials, each of whom has 49 respondents from Brgy. Brgy.

Iraray Brgy. Panitian Brgy. Pulot and Pulot Center Punang; and, second,

49 local residents from Brgy. Iraray Brgy. Panitian Brgy. Pulot and Pulot Center Punang,

which has 392 participants in total.

27
3.5 Research Locale

This study was conducted in Sofronio Española, Palawan, specifically, in four (4)

barangays: Brgy. Iraray, Brgy. Panitian, Brgy. Pulot Center, and Brgy. Punang. These

barangays were selected based on the following: a) socio-economic status of the

barangay; (b) barangays that are strategically located near the forested area with high

probability of knowledge about Chainsaw Act; and (c) residents’ population.

Figure 3: Source ReadkonG.com

This figure shows the map of the municipality of Sofronio Española, Palawan as a

research locale of this study.

3.6 Data Analysis Strategy

This section explains how the data was analyzed in order to answer the questions.

Because this is a quantitative study, the researchers employed descriptive data analysis as

a data analytical tool to quantify the frequency distribution, percentage distribution,

weighted mean, and t-test for the dependent mean.

28
 The first step in data analysis is data preparation, which involves converting raw

data into something useful and legible. It consists of four steps: first, data validation; the

goal of data validation is to determine, as far as possible, whether data collection was

done according to pre-determined standards and without bias, by completing several steps

of the process, which include: screening, to ensure that respondents were chosen

according to the research criteria; procedure, to ensure that the data collection procedure

was duly followed; and completeness, to ensure that the interviewer asked all of the

questions, rather than just a few required ones. To do so, researchers would have to select

a random sample of completed surveys and validate the data gathered.

Secondly, data editing, typically, large data sets include errors. For example,

respondents may fill fields incorrectly or skip them accidentally. To make sure that there

are no such errors, the researchers conducted basic data checks, check for outliers, and

edited the raw research data to identify and clear out any data points that may hamper the

accuracy of the results.

Descriptive statistics is the most widely used quantitative data analysis method.

Gathering data that characterizes events and organizing, tabulating, depicting, and

explaining the data collection to represent the population being researched is what

descriptive data analysis is all about (Glass et al., 1984). According to Borg et al. (1989),

most quantitative studies employ observational and survey methods to collect descriptive

data. The structured data will be used to obtain frequency measures, organize the data

acquired in the survey, and determine how many times the respondents' responses occur,

allowing for a more complete interpretation of the data.

29
 Moreover, the measurements of central tendency to find the representative value

or the average mean, representing the whole distribution into one value helped the

researchers generate a concise description of the group as a whole and also provided a

comparison among categories or groups. The researchers incorporated the computed data

to a four-point Likert scale indicating different levels, to measure the respondents’

attitudes towards agreeing and disagreeing on the statements that are being asked.

T-test for dependent mean was used to determine if there is a significant

difference between the means of two groups of participants, local officials and local

residents, that are matched based on their characteristics (e.g. age, education, occupation,

and residency), and tested in one measure. The t-test is one of many tests used for the

purpose of hypothesis testing in quantitative study (Hayes et al., 2020). A t-test allows

the researchers to compare the average values of the two data sets and determine if they

came from the same population. Mathematically, the t-test takes a sample from each of

the two sets and establishes the problem statement by assuming a null hypothesis that the

two means are equal. Based on the applicable formulas, certain values are calculated and

compared against the standard values, and the assumed null hypothesis is accepted or

rejected accordingly.

30
 CHAPTER IV

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

4.1 Overview. This chapter presents the results from the treated data, the analysis, and

discussion of the results to answer the presented research questions of this study.

4.2 Demographic Profile of the Respondents

In this section, the following components of the respondents’ profiles are

presented; gender, age, educational attainment, occupation, years of residency, and

barangay. This is to provide a background about the sources of data or the subjects of

this research.

Gender of the Respondents. According to the data in Figure 4, there are 108 male

respondents with 28%, 178 female respondents with 45%, and 106 respondents with 27%

who keep their genders confidential.

Figure 4. Gender Distribution of the Respondents

Gender Distribution of the Respondents

Male Female Keep it Confidential

27% 28%

45%
 Age of the Respondents. Based on the presented data of Figure 5, there are 172

respondents in the youth 18-34 age group (44%), 136 respondents in the young adults 35-

50 age group (35%), 79 respondents in the middle-aged adults 51-69 age group (20%),

and four (4) respondents in the old-aged adults 70+ age group (1%).

Figure 5. Age Distribution of the Respondents

Age Distribution of the Respondents

Youth Young Adults Middle-aged Adults Old-aged Adults
1%

20%
44%

35%

Educational Attainment of the Respondents. Based on the presented data

of Figure 6, there are fifty-one (51) respondents who are high school graduates (13%),

forty-six (46) respondents who are college undergraduates (12%), one hundred eighty-

four (184) respondents who are college graduates (47%), and one hundred eleven (111)

respondents in elementary/ TVL (28%).

32
 Figure 6. Education Distribution of the Respondents

Education Distribution of the Respondents

High School Graduate College Level
College Graduate Elementary/ TVL

13%
28%
12%

47%

Occupation of the Respondents. Based on the presented data of Figure 7, there are

one hundred ninety six (196) respondents among the local residents, such as vendors,

farmers, teachers, drivers, and students, and one hundred ninety-six (196) respondents

among the local officials, such as PNP, DILG, Municipal Officials, and Brgy. Officials.

Figure 7. Occupation Distribution of the Respondents

Occupation Distribution of the Respondents

Local Residents: vendors, teachers, drivers, students

Local Officials: PNP, DILG, Municipal Officials, Brgy.

Officials

50% 50%

33
 Years of Residency of the Respondents. Based on the presented data in Figure 8,

there are fifty six (56) respondents within the year bracket of 1-10 (15%), fifty-eight (58)

respondents within the year bracket of 11-20 (15%), one hundred eleven (111)

respondents within the year bracket of 21-30 (28%), seventy-six (76) respondents within

the year bracket of 31-40 (19%), forty-nine (49) respondents within the year bracket of

41-50 (13%), twenty-six (26) respondents within the year bracket of 51-60 (7%), and

sixteen (16) respondents within the year bracket of 61-70 up (4%).

Figure 8. Years of Residency Distribution of the Respondents

0-10 years 11-20 years 21-30 years 31-40 years

41-50 years 51-60 years 61-70 up

4%
7% 14%

13%
15%

19%

28%

Barangay of the Respondents. Based on the presented data in Figure 9, there are

ninety-eight (98) respondents in Barangay Panitian (25%), ninety-eight (98) respondents

in Barangay Punang (25%), ninety-eight (98) respondents in Barangay Iraray (25%), and

ninety-eight (98) respondents in Barangay Pulot Center.

34
Figure 9. Barangay Distribution of the Respondents

Panitian Punang Iraray Pulot Center

25% 25%

25% 25%

35
4.3 Policy Awareness and Assessment of the Local Officials and Local Residents on
the Implementation of RA 9175 (Otherwise known as Chainsaw Act)

Assessing the awareness and perceived effectiveness of the local residents on the

implementation of RA 9175 is very significant in evaluating the present scenario, making

the government system more reliable and constant when it has been derived from the

experiences. Thus, the analysis of the resident’s perception of the effectiveness of

implementing R.A 9175 otherwise known as Chainsaw Act is vital in making the

municipality sustainable. In line with this, this section presents the following:

Level of Awareness of the Local Officials on the Implementation of RA 9175 (Otherwise

known as Chainsaw Act)

This theme discusses the local official’s awareness of the aforementioned policy

as a law enforcement body themselves. The questions mostly derived from the provisions

of RA 9175. The researchers used different tables for the level of awareness and

effectiveness to proficiently delivered their responses.

Table 1.A. Level of Awareness of the Local Officials on the Implementation of RA

9175 (Otherwise known as Chainsaw Act)
General Awareness % wx D
1. There is a law intended to regulate the ownership, possession, sale, importation,
and use of chainsaws (RA No. 9175). 78.4 3.1 SA
Policy Objectives % wx D
1. This law is generally intended to prevent illegal logging through the process of
monitoring and regulating a local database of existing number of the purchase, 78.8 3.1 SA
ownership, and authorized users of chainsaws.
2. This law is formulated to safeguard and conserve the natural forest resources with
the aid of sustainable forest management designed to eliminate illegal logging. 80.7 3.2 SA
3. This law is made to address all illegal logging and forest destruction practices
which are mainly because of the unauthorized and illegal use or possession of 80.6 3.2 SA
chainsaws.
4. This law promotes the creation and maintenance of national and local databases of
all authorized chainsaws, other related pertinent transactions, and relevant 77.8 3.1 SA
information.
5. This law is implemented to completely oversee the importation and utilization of
chainsaws as well as related arrangements. 76.7 3.0 SA
Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force % wx D
1. The law creates a Task Force which is mandated to take the lead in anti-illegal
logging campaign. 78.5 3.1 SA
2. The Task Force shall be assisted by any department, bureau, and office of the
executive branch – this includes LGU - in the discharge of its functions. 79.9 3.1 SA
3. The Task Force shall assist the DENR in the enforcement of other environmental

36
 laws. 79.3 3.1 SA
Policy Implementation % wx D
1. The law prohibits the issuance of any logging contracts or agreements in all types
of forests. 76.6 3.0 A
2. The law prohibits the issuance/renewal of tree cutting permits in all natural and
residual forests nationwide, except for clearing of road right of way by the DPWH 77.0 3.0 A
and other government-essential activities provided that all logs derived from the
said cutting permits shall be turned over to the DENR for proper disposal.
3. The law mandates for a review and evaluation (at least twice) of all existing
forests management agreements and terminate those who have violated the forests 72.5 2.9 A
laws.
4. The law mandates the closure and does not allow the operation of all wood
processing factory or shops that are unable to present proof of sustainable sources 75.7 3.0 A
of legally cut logs for a period of at least five (5) years.
5. The release and granting of Certificate of Registration for chainsaws are being
highly monitored by the local government unit as spearheaded by the DENR and 77.9 3.1 A
duly constituted authorities guided by prescribed categories.
6. The law mandates the authorized agencies to identify registered chainsaws and
require a serialized sticker attached to equipment with its registration number, date 76.1 3.0 A
of registration, and expiry date to ensure the legality of ownership to be keep on
displayed.
7. The law orders that the certificate of Registrations of chainsaws for authorized
purposes is valid for two (2) years upon issuance and renewable as per the terms 73.5 2.9 A
and conditions.
8. The law mandates certain requirements of all applicants for chainsaw registration
must be submitted to the authorized agencies such as the LGU, DENR or CENRO 76.5 3.0 A
to obtain the Certificate of Registration and its renewal.
9. The law stated that all permits and authority to purchase, import, manufacture,
sell, re-sell, dispose, distribute, transfer of ownership, lease, rent, or lend must also 74.8 2.9 A
be granted by duly constituted authorities through the accomplishment of certain
requirements.
10. The law clearly mandated that all copies of the permits, authority, and Certificate
of Registrations must be kept by the manufacturer or importer, owner, and the 76.5 3.0 A
concerned authorities, such as the LGU and CENRO. Certificate of Registrations
and the official receipt of registration must be with the person operating the
chainsaws at all times.
11. The law strictly mandates that selling, purchasing, transferring the ownership,
distributing, or disposing chainsaws without a proper permit shall be punished 75.3 3.0 A
accordingly with imprisonment and fines.
12. The law stated that the persons with no prior authorization that manufactured or
imported chainsaws shall be punished accordingly with imprisonment and fines. 76.1 3.0 A
13. R.A 9175 mandated that any acts of tampering and defacing of engine serial
numbers of registered chainsaws shall be punished accordingly with imprisonment 74.8 2.9 A
and fines.
14. Persons who may in possession of chainsaws and use it to clear trees and timber
in forest areas that are not authorized by the DENR shall be punished with 78.9 3.1 A
imprisonment and fines. The chainsaws shall also be confiscated accordingly.
15. R.A 9175 mandated those third parties or any persons, corporations, or
partnerships that worked together for illegal-logging and clearing of forests shall 77.4 3.0 A
also be imposed with the punishment of imprisonment and fines.
16. The law clearly mandates that any public officials or government employees found
to have transactions with illegal logging and forest destruction practices shall be 77.6 3.1 A
immediately removed from office and be perpetually disqualified from holding
any public office.
17. The law mandates that the chainsaws confiscated must be turned over to the
authorized agencies identified by the DENR, and shall sell the same through a 72.9 2.9 A
public auction which proceeds shall accrue to the Department and concerned
agencies.
18. The law mandates that the informer who voluntary gave information of the illegal
practice in conformity with the guidelines will receive A certain percentage of 71.1 2.8 A
20% as a reward from the auctioned chainsaw/s.
TOTAL 76.8% 3.0 A
4.50-3.51-Strongly Aware (SA); 3.50-2.51-Aware (A); 2.50-1.51-Not Aware (NA); 1.50-0.51-Strongly Not Aware (SNA)

37
 The table reveals that the majority of Local Officials, 76.8% to be exact, have a

weighted mean of (wx) 3.0, indicating that they are mainly aware of the provisions of RA

9175 and 80.7% of them are very familiar with policy objective number two, which states

that “this law is formulated to safeguard and conserve the natural forest resources with

the aid of sustainable forest management designed to eliminate illegal logging”. They are

also strongly aware of statement/question number 3 under the policy objectives category

which states that “this law is made to address all illegal logging and forest destruction

practices which are mainly because of the unauthorized and illegal use or possession of

chainsaws” with a total of 80.6% responses.

Furthermore, the table shows that the statement/question or law provision that the

majority of the officials receive the least awareness with a total percentage of seventy-

one (71.1%), which is statement/question number 18 under the policy implementation

category, stating that “the law mandates that the informer who voluntary gave

information of the illegal practice in conformity with the guidelines will receive A certain

percentage of 20% as a reward from the auctioned chainsaw/s”.

Additionally, it also indicates that the local officials and local residents are

strongly aware that the law is generally intended to prevent illegal logging through the

process of monitoring and regulating a local database of the existing number of the

purchase, ownership, and authorized users of chainsaws with at least 78% and 3.1

weighted mean.

Generally, the findings revealed that the local officials are aware of the

implementation of the Anti-Illegal Logging Policy or RA No. 9175. Hence, it is

38
perceived by the local officials that the implementation of the anti-illegal logging policy

is effective.

According to the Rational Choice Institutionalism Theory, local officials function

as an institution with a common personal interest, in this case, the amount of their

understanding of RA 9175 and their effectiveness in executing the policy in the

municipality of Sofronio Española. With the results presented above, where the majority

of officials were aware of and perceived their perception as effective, it is also an

implication that they have achieved their common interests, but Rational Choice

Institutionalism also argues that actors use institutions to maximize their utility, and that

institutions may influence rational individual's behavior (Voeten, 1972).

The institutional environment provides information and enforcement mechanism

that reduce uncertainty for each other about the corresponding behavior of others, thus,

the local officials as a part of a local task force working under the government share a

corresponding behavior and information with others, making the results of their responses

mostly similar, explaining the total 76.8% they got from the data shown in the table

above.

Perceived Level of Effectiveness of the Local Officials on the Implementation of R.A 9175

(Otherwise known as Chainsaw Act)

In this section, the researchers discuss how the local officials of Sofronio

Española assess themselves as a part of the special task force mandated by the law to

execute RA 9175 into action based on their perceived level of effectiveness

39
 Table 1.b. Perceived Level of Effectiveness of the Local Officials on the
Implementation of R.A 9175 (Otherwise known as Chainsaw Act)
Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force % wx D
1. The LGU of Sofronio Espanola as part of Anti-Illegal Logging Local Task Force
leads the anti-illegal logging campaign in the municipality by ensuring the strict 80.6 3.2 E
implementation of the Administrative Order under the supervision of the
PCSD/DENR.
2. The LGU of Sofronio Espanola as part of Anti-Illegal Logging Local Task Force
conducts search and other measures to ensure the safety of the forests from illegal 75.5 3.0 E
loggers.
3. The LGU of Sofronio Española as part of Anti-Illegal Logging Local Task Force
respects the Indigenous Peoples Right Act of tree cutting subject to strict 75.6 3.0 E
compliance with existing guidelines.
4. The LGU of Sofronio Española as part of Anti-Illegal Logging Local Task Force
coordinates with the residents to ensure the coordination and collective efforts in 75.6 3.0 E
protecting the forest from illegal loggers.
5. The LGU of Sofronio Española as part of Anti-Illegal Logging Local Task Force
is not involved in any corrupt practices and strictly implements the law. 74.8 2.9 E
Monitoring Mechanism % wx D
1. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly ensures and checks that a certificate of
registration (chainsaw) is only given to those individuals who meet the standards 78.3 3.1 E
set by the law.
2. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly monitors and ensures that those individuals
carrying permits (to own and carry chainsaw) are carefully and consistently follow 78.0 3.1 E
the law.
3. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly ensures and checks that those individuals
dispose or possesses a chainsaw without serving the necessary permit will be 77.6 3.1 E
punished with imprisonment and fines.
4. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly monitors and ensures that those individuals
found to use chainsaw without the authority will be penalized with imprisonment 77.8 3.1 E
and fines.
5. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly monitors and ensures that selling,
purchasing, transferring of ownership, or disposing chainsaws without a proper 75.2 3.0 E
permit will be punished with imprisonment and fines.
6. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly ensures and checks that tampering and
defacing of engine serial numbers of registered chainsaws will be punished with 75.7 3.0 E
imprisonment and fines.
7. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly monitors and ensures that any persons or
corporations that worked together for illegal-logging will be penalized with 78.5 3.1 E
imprisonment and fines.
8. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly monitors and ensures that officials found
to have transactions with illegal-logging practices are immediately removed and 78.1 3.1 E
disqualified from their position.
9. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly ensures and checks that chainsaws
confiscated are turned over to DENR that shall sell through a public sale. 76.0 3.0 E
10. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly monitors and ensures that individuals who
voluntarily gave information of the illegal practice will receive 20% reward from 73.2 2.9 E
the auction.
11. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly monitors and ensures that all violators are
provided with corresponding penalties and liable to their violation. 77.2 3.0 E
Overall Assessment % wx D
1. The implementation of the law prevents illegal logging practices through the
process of monitoring and regulating a local database of existing number of the 78.3 3.1 E
purchase, ownership, and authorized users of chainsaws in Espanola.
2. The implementation of the law leads to the protection and conservation of the
natural forest resources with the aid of sustainable forest management designed to 80.8 3.2 E
eliminate illegal logging practices in Espanola.
3. The implementation of the law directly addresses all illegal logging and forest
destruction practices thus, the Espanola maintains, protects, and conserves its 79.5 3.1 E
healthy and green forests.
4. The implementation of the law encourages the active involvement of the residents 80.3 3.2 E
of Espanola in protecting as well as conserving its natural forests.
5. The implementation of the law leads to various quality and committed
environmental protection initiatives of Espanola. 80.4 3.2 E
TOTAL 89.05 3.1 E
4.50-3.51-Strongly Effective (SE); 3.50-2.51-Effectivee (A); 2.50-1.51-Not Effective (NE); 1.50-0.51-Strongly Not Effective (SNE)

40
 The table shows that majority of local officials perceived that the LGU of

Sofronio Española as part of Anti-Illegal Logging Local Task Force is effective in

leading the anti-illegal logging campaign in the municipality by ensuring the strict

implementation of the Administrative Order under the supervision of the DENR, with the

percentage of 89.05, to be exact.

The LGU received the highest response of effectiveness on statement number 2,

under the overall statement assessment with an 80.8% which stated that “the

implementation of the law leads to the protection and conservation of the natural forest

resources with the aid of sustainable forest management designed to eliminate illegal

logging practices in Española”.

Furthermore, they believe the LGU is effective in enforcing the law that prohibits

illegal logging and forest destruction, resulting in the protection and conservation of

natural forest resources. The law specifically addresses all illegal logging and forest

destruction practices. The law's implementation also encourages residents of Española to

take an active role in safeguarding and conserving the state's natural forests.

The findings revealed that local officials’ perceptions of the implementation of

the anti-illegal logging policy by the local task force are effective. The table shows the

statement/question or provision of the law that the majority of the officials received the

highest number of the level of effectiveness with a total percentage of eighty-nine

(89.05%), which is statement/question number 18 under policy implementation category

stating that “The LGU of Sofronio Espanola as part of Anti-Illegal Logging Local Task

41
Force leads the anti-illegal logging campaign in the municipality by ensuring the strict

implementation of the Administrative Order under the supervision of the PCSD/DENR”.

Thus, analyzing the data gathered above about the local officials’ perceptions and

attitudes toward policy implementation have stressed the importance of analyzing policy

effectiveness.

Additionally, according to scholars (Ap et al., 2000), having a clear understanding

of the local people perceptions on the level of awareness as well as factors that shaped

their views are essential in achieving a host community's support for effective policy

implementation. Thus, knowing the level of awareness of the respondents are significant.

Residents' support is crucial because the operation's success is dependent on their

goodwill and community participation. However, the majority of these studies have

mostly focused on the perspectives of the implementers or the assigned institutions

(executive department). Relative to these findings, although there are a number of

theories and models developed in understanding the perceptions and attitudes, previous

studies indicate that there is a lack of application and modeling of the theoretical

foundations, specifically in the people’s perspective (local residents). Hence, the

researchers also acquire the perceptions of local residents as shown in the table below.

42
Level of Awareness of the Local Residents on the Implementation of R.A 9175 (Otherwise
known as Chainsaw Act)

As previously stated, this theme discusses the local residents' awareness of RA

9175. The same principles were applied as in the first theme; the only difference is that

this theme focuses on local residents who are not members of the local task force or any

institutions involved in the policy's implementation.

Table 2.A. Level of Awareness of the Local Residents on the Implementation of R.A
9175 (Otherwise known as Chainsaw Act)
General Awareness % wx D
1. There is a law intended to regulate the ownership, possession, sale, importation,
and use of chainsaws (RA No. 9175). 78.3 3.1 SA
Policy Objectives % wx D
1. This law is generally intended to prevent illegal logging through the process of
monitoring and regulating a local database of existing number of the purchase, 78.9 3.1 A
ownership, and authorized users of chainsaws.
2. This law is formulated to safeguard and conserve the natural forest resources with
the aid of sustainable forest management designed to eliminate illegal logging. 83.8 3.3 A
3. This law is made to address all illegal logging and forest destruction practices
which are mainly because of the unauthorized and illegal use or possession of 82.1 3.2 A
chainsaws.
4. This law promotes the creation and maintenance of national and local databases of
all authorized chainsaws, other related pertinent transactions, and relevant 78.0 3.1 A
information.
5. This law is implemented to completely oversee the importation and utilization of
chainsaws as well as related arrangements. 77.5 3.1 A
Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force % wx D
1. The law creates a Task Force which is mandated to take the lead in anti-illegal
logging campaign. 83.6 3.3 A
2. The Task Force shall be assisted by any department, bureau, and office of the
executive branch – this includes LGU - in the discharge of its functions. 83.1 3.3 A
3. The Task Force shall assist the DENR in the enforcement of other environmental
laws. 83.0 3.3 A
Policy Implementation % wx D
1. The law prohibits the issuance of any logging contracts or agreements in all types 79.0 3.1 A
of forests.
2. The law prohibits the issuance/renewal of tree cutting permits in all natural and
residual forests nationwide, except for clearing of road right of way by the DPWH 79.2 3.1 A
and other government-essential activities provided that all logs derived from the
said cutting permits shall be turned over to the DENR for proper disposal.
3. The law mandates for a review and evaluation (at least twice) of all existing
forests management agreements and terminate those who have violated the forests 75 3 A
laws.
4. The law mandates the closure and does not allow the operation of all wood
processing factory or shops that are unable to present proof of sustainable sources 79.7 3.1 A
of legally cut logs for a period of at least five (5) years.
5. The release and granting of Certificate of Registration for chainsaws are being
highly monitored by the local government unit as spearheaded by the DENR and 79.5 3.1 A
duly constituted authorities guided by prescribed categories.
6. The law mandates the authorized agencies to identify registered chainsaws and
require a serialized sticker attached to equipment with its registration number, date 79.7 3.1 A
of registration, and expiry date to ensure the legality of ownership to be keep on
displayed.
7. The law orders that the certificate of Registrations of chainsaws for authorized
purposes is valid for two (2) years upon issuance and renewable as per the terms 76.2 3.0 A
and conditions.

43
 8. The law mandates certain requirements of all applicants for chainsaw registration
must be submitted to the authorized agencies such as the LGU, DENR or CENRO 78.1 3.1 A
to obtain the Certificate of Registration and its renewal.
9. The law stated that all permits and authority to purchase, import, manufacture,
sell, re-sell, dispose, distribute, transfer of ownership, lease, rent, or lend must also 74.0 2.9 A
be granted by duly constituted authorities through the accomplishment of certain
requirements.
10. The law clearly mandated that all copies of the permits, authority, and Certificate
of Registrations must be kept by the manufacturer or importer, owner, and the 79.9 3.1 A
concerned authorities, such as the LGU and CENRO. Certificate of Registrations
and the official receipt of registration must be with the person operating the
chainsaws at all times.
11. The law strictly mandates that selling, purchasing, transferring the ownership,
distributing, or disposing chainsaws without a proper permit shall be punished 76.9 3.0 A
accordingly with imprisonment and fines.
12. The law stated that the persons with no prior authorization that manufactured or
imported chainsaws shall be punished accordingly with imprisonment and fines. 78.7 3.1 A
13. R.A 9175 mandated that any acts of tampering and defacing of engine serial
numbers of registered chainsaws shall be punished accordingly with imprisonment 77.4 3.0 A
and fines.
14. Persons who may in possession of chainsaws and use it to clear trees and timber
in forest areas that are not authorized by the DENR shall be punished with 80.8 3.2 A
imprisonment and fines. The chainsaws shall also be confiscated accordingly.
15. R.A 9175 mandated those third parties or any persons, corporations, or
partnerships that worked together for illegal-logging and clearing of forests shall 79.5 3.1 A
also be imposed with the punishment of imprisonment and fines.
16. The law clearly mandates that any public officials or government employees found
to have transactions with illegal logging and forest destruction practices shall be 78.5 3.1 A
immediately removed from office and be perpetually disqualified from holding
any public office.
17. The law mandates that the chainsaws confiscated must be turned over to the
authorized agencies identified by the DENR, and shall sell the same through a 73.8 2.9 A
public auction which proceeds shall accrue to the Department and concerned
agencies.
18. The law mandates that the informer who voluntary gave information of the illegal
practice in conformity with the guidelines will receive A certain percentage of 69.4 2.7 A
20% as a reward from the auctioned chainsaw/s.
TOTAL 72.62% 3.1 A
4.50-3.51-Strongly Aware (SA); 3.50-2.51-Aware (A); 2.50-1.51-Not Aware (NA); 1.50-0.51-Strongly Not Aware (SNA)

The table shows that 72.62% of the total number of the local residents are aware

of most of the policy’s provisions, specifically RA 9175, whereas the previous (table 1.b)

responses of Local officials on the same questions show a level of awareness of 76.8%,

which is 4.18% higher than the level of awareness of the local residents. There is a

27.32% of the local residents who are not aware of the provisions, and 23.2 % from the

local officials (implementers).

Furthermore, the highest statement from the policy that local residents were aware

of is statement number two under policy objectives, which states that “this law is

formulated to safeguard and conserve the natural forest resources with the aid of

44
sustainable forest management designed to eliminate illegal logging” with an overall

response rate of 83.8% out of 196 local residents while the least provision of the policy

that they are aware of is the statement number 18, which argues that “the law mandates

that the informer who voluntarily gave information of the illegal practice in conformity

with the guidelines will receive a certain percentage of 20% as a reward from the

auctioned chainsaw/s”, with only 69.4% of the respondents compared to the level of

awareness of the local officials with 71.6% (table1 Local Officials).

Tracking people's perceptions and awareness is critical in analyzing the current

situation and making the government system more reliable and consistent when it is

based on experience. The failure to incorporate both local residents' perceptions and the

implementers' side in future protected area management and conservation policies adds to

limited conservation benefits and magnifies the debate over policy effectiveness analysis.

In addition, according to Harun et al. (2018), the perception of the host community is a

crucial aspect in the state's future policy planning, management, and development. As a

result of the data shown above, local residents were aware of the policy in place in their

municipality.

45
Perceived Level of Effectiveness of the Local Residents on the Implementation of R.A
9175 (Otherwise known as Chainsaw Act)

This theme focuses on the level of effectiveness of the implementation of RA

9175 as perceived by the local residents of Sofronio Española.

Table 2.b. Perceived Level of Effectiveness of the Local Residents on the

Implementation of R.A 9175 (Otherwise known as Chainsaw Act)

Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force % wx D

1. The LGU of Sofronio Espanola as part of Anti-Illegal Logging Local Task Force
leads the anti-illegal logging campaign in the municipality by ensuring the strict 76.0 3.0 E
implementation of the Administrative Order under the supervision of the
PCSD/DENR.
2. The LGU of Sofronio Espanola as part of Anti-Illegal Logging Local Task Force
conducts search and other measures to ensure the safety of the forests from illegal 76.1 3.0 E
loggers.
3. The LGU of Sofronio Española as part of Anti-Illegal Logging Local Task Force
respects the Indigenous Peoples Right Act of tree cutting subject to strict 74.7 2.9 E
compliance with existing guidelines.
4. The LGU of Sofronio Española as part of Anti-Illegal Logging Local Task Force
coordinates with the residents to ensure the coordination and collective efforts in 73.5 2.9 E
protecting the forest from illegal loggers.
5. The LGU of Sofronio Española as part of Anti-Illegal Logging Local Task Force
is not involved in any corrupt practices and strictly implements the law. 70.5 2.8 E
Monitoring Mechanism % wx D
1. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly ensures and checks that a certificate of
registration (chainsaw) is only given to those individuals who meet the standards 73.5 2.9 E
set by the law.
2. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly monitors and ensures that those individuals
carrying permits (to own and carry chainsaw) are carefully and consistently follow 75.3 3.0 E
the law.
3. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly ensures and checks that those individuals
disposes or possesses a chainsaw without serving the necessary permit will be 76.1 3.0 E
punished with imprisonment and fines.
4. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly monitors and ensures that those individuals
found to use chainsaw without the authority will be penalized with imprisonment 78.6 3.1 E
and fines.
5. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly monitors and ensures that selling,
purchasing, transferring of ownership, or disposing chainsaws without a proper 75.8 3.0 E
permit will be punished with imprisonment and fines.
6. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly ensures and checks that tampering and
defacing of engine serial numbers of registered chainsaws will be punished with 76.1 3.0 E
imprisonment and fines.
7. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly monitors and ensures that any persons or
corporations that worked together for illegal-logging will be penalized with 77.2 3.0 E
imprisonment and fines.
8. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly monitors and ensures that officials found
to have transactions with illegal-logging practices are immediately removed and 77.1 3.0 E
disqualified from their position.
9. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly ensures and checks that chainsaws
confiscated are turned over to DENR that shall sell through a public sale. 75.2 3.0 E
10. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly monitors and ensures that individuals who
voluntarily gave information of the illegal practice will receive 20% reward from 72.0 2.8 E
the auction.
11. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly monitors and ensures that all violators are
provided with corresponding penalties and liable to their violation. 76.0 3.0 E
Overall Assessment % wx D
1. The implementation of the law prevents illegal logging practices through the
process of monitoring and regulating a local database of existing number of the 76.1 3.0 E
purchase, ownership, and authorized users of chainsaws in Espanola.

46
 2. The implementation of the law leads to the protection and conservation of the
natural forest resources with the aid of sustainable forest management designed to 78.8 3.1 E
eliminate illegal logging practices in Espanola.
3. The implementation of the law directly addresses all illegal logging and forest
destruction practices thus, the Espanola maintains, protects, and conserves its 78.6 3.1 E
healthy and green forests.
4. The implementation of the law encourages the active involvement of the residents
of Espanola in protecting as well as conserving its natural forests. 78.9 3.1 E
5. The implementation of the law leads to various quality and committed
environmental protection initiatives of Espanola. 80.1 3.2 E
TOTAL 76.00 3.0 E
4.50-3.51-Strongly Aware (SA); 3.50-2.51-Aware (A); 2.50-1.51-Not Aware (NA); 1.50-0.51-Strongly Not Aware (SNA)

The table shows that 76% of the local residents perceived that the LGU of

Sofronio Española, as part of the Anti-Illegal Logging Local Task Force, is effective in

leading the anti-illegal logging campaign in the municipality by ensuring strict

compliance with the Administrative Order under the supervision of the DENR while the

local officials perceived that the LGU is effective with a total percentage of 89.05 % of

their responses (see table 2b Local officials). Furthermore, the table shows that 70% of

respondents agree that the LGU is effective, particularly on statement number 5 under the

Anti-Illegal Logging category, which states that “the LGU of Sofronio Española as part

of Anti-Illegal Logging Local Task Force is not involved in any corrupt practices and

strictly implements the law” which has the lowest percentage level.

The Local Government of Sofronio Española and its subordinate departments

implementing the Anti-Illegal Logging policies, specifically the Chainsaw Act, within

their jurisdiction will serve as an institution that will be examined to see if they are

effectively implementing their rules and applying all incentives as based on Rational-

Choice Institutionalism Theory. Examining people's awareness of the laws or regulations

they are currently implementing within their territorial domain is one technique to

determine whether the institution is effective enough.

47
Significant Difference between the Perceptions of Local Officials and the Local Residents
on the Effectiveness of the Implementation of R.A 9175 (Otherwise known as Chainsaw
Act)

This theme focuses on the significant difference between the perceptions of local

officials and the local residents on the level of effectiveness of the implementation of RA

9175.

Table 3. Significant Difference Between the Perceptions of Local Officials and the
Local Residents on the Effectiveness of the Implementation of R.A 9175 (Otherwise
known as Chainsaw Act)

Perceptions t-stat p-value t-critical Decision

Local Officials and -0.778079484 0.438657576 1.987934206 No Significant

Local Residents Difference
*Less than p-value 0.05= significant difference; Greater than p-value 0.05= no significant difference

According to the data in the table, there is no significant difference in perceptions

of local officials and local residents about the implementation of the anti-illegal logging

policy in terms of level of awareness and level of effectiveness.

Since t-stat [-0.778079484] is less than the t-critical (two-tail) [1.987934206] and the p-

value [0.438657576] is greater than α = 0.05, the research showed that there is a failure to

reject the null hypothesis stating that “there is no significant difference between the

perceptions of the local officials and the local residents on the effectiveness of R.A 9175

(otherwise known as Chainsaw Act) on Sofronio Española”.

In the table shown in the preceding argument, the general data revealed that the

two sets of respondents had a foremost similarity in their responses, arguing that 72.62%

(see table 2.a local residents) of the local residents and 89.05% (table 1.a local officials)

of local officials were aware on the provisions of the Chainsaw Act, and both of them

48
perceived that the LGU of Sofronio Española is effective in implementing the

aforementioned law. Even though the overall percentages of the two sets of respondents

on the level of awareness category varied by 16.43%, they both fall within the same point

likert scale, indicating that both respondents are aware of RA9175.

Hence, according to Olsen (1995), in order to get a better institutional analysis, it

is needed to understand the behavior of municipal officials and local residents on the

effectiveness of the implementation of R.A No. 9175 within their political institutions by

examining institutional constraints as perceived by the affected set of people under the

Finally, in terms of effectiveness, the findings' considerable difference indicates that the

indicator has been demonstrated to be effective, and local officials and residents are

aware. Nonetheless, the local government unit's implementation was effective in terms of

law enforcement and punishment because people are well informed of the processes to

take before taking action. Therefore, the program passed the indicator of effectiveness.

49
 CHAPTER V

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

5.1 Overview. This chapter presents the summary of findings, conclusions and

recommendations. These aspects were drawn from the precise study of the gathered data.

This study dealt with the perceptions of the local officials and local residents on

the implementation of the anti-illegal logging policy. It sought to determine the

perceptions of the local officials and local residents on the implementation of R.A No.

9175 otherwise Chainsaw Act in terms of awareness and effectiveness. It involved 392

respondents (198 Local Officials and 198 Local Residents). The researchers made use of

the frequency count, mean, and T-test in the analysis of data.

5.2 Summary of Findings

From the data gathered, the following were inferred by the researchers:

1.Perception of the Local Officials of Sofronio Española on the Effectiveness of the

implementation of RA No. 9175. The data revealed that the local officials are aware of

R.A. No. 9175, also known as the Chainsaw Act, which is titled “An act Regulating the

Ownership, Possession, Sale, Importation, and use of Chainsaws, Penalizing Violation

thereof and for other purposes”. As part of the task force enforcing the aforementioned

law and other related policies in Sofronio Española to prevent large illegal logging, the

researchers determined that local officials have a high possibility of attaining the

supposed level of awareness.

2. Perception of the Local Residents of Sofronio Española on the Effectiveness of the

implementation of RA No. 9175. Overall, the data showed (Tables 2.a and 2.b) that the

LGU of Sofronio Española, as part of the Anti-Illegal Logging Local Task Force, is

effective in leading the anti-illegal logging campaign in the municipality by ensuring

strict implementation of R.A. 9175 within their municipality.

3. Significant Difference between the Perceptions of Local Officials and Local Residents.

The researchers failed to reject the null hypothesis stating that “there is no relationship

on analyzing the significant difference between the perceptions of the local officials and

the local residents on the effectiveness of anti-illegal logging policy in Sofronio

Española” as based on the result of the T-test statistical analysis applied in this study.

5.3 Conclusion

The researchers concluded that the two sets of respondents perceived that the

Local Government Unit of Sofronio Española, as a part of the local task force charged

with enacting and implementing RA 9175, also known as the Chainsaw Act, is effective

in enforcing the law within their jurisdiction.

Hence, there is no significant difference between the perceptions of the local

officials and local residents on the implementation of the Anti-Illegal Logging Policy in

terms of the level of awareness and effectiveness.

5.4 Recommendations

On the basis of the foregoing findings and conclusions, the following

recommendations are presented:

51
1. The researchers commend the incumbent officials of Sofronio Española for

serious implementation of the R.A No. 9175 as perceived both by local officials

and local residents. However, with the primary purpose of developing

partnerships with local government units and local stakeholders in order to bring

in additional resources, the 76% perceived level of effectiveness by local residents

to the LGU's implementation still has room for improvement. The Local

Government Unit, as the main implementer, has a significant influence on the

monitoring and implementation of construction operations.

2. According to the data gathered, only 69.4 % of the residents are aware of the 20%
reward given to any voluntarily informer of any illegal logging related activities

they may witness to the authorities, thus, it is recommended to the officials to

promote this particular provision to the eighty to ninety percent (80-90%) of the

population and encourage more citizens to participate and be vigilant.

3. The researchers and some of the residents recommend that a follow-up study be

conducted on factors influencing residents' perceptions and stances on any

destructive activities affecting the environmental protection and conservation of

Palawan's Last Ecological Frontier, such as mining operations, illegal logging

practices, slash and burn, coal-fired power plant construction, and other related

issues.

4. This paper also recommends for the research endeavors of Political Science in the

College of Arts and Humanities to conduct parallel study in other situated

municipalities.

52
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 Appendix A

SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE

This instrument is designed to determine your awareness and assessment of the

implementation of an existing Anti-Illegal Logging policy. Furthermore, kindly note that the
following statements are derived from the official document of the government - R.A. 9175,
specifically, the A.O. 2003-24.

I. DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF THE RESPONDENTS

Name (Optional):

Gender:

Age:

Education Level:

 High School
 College Undergraduate
 College Graduate
 Others: ______________
Occupation:

Years of Residency in Espanola:

Address (Barangay):

II. LEVEL OF AWARENESS OF THE RESPONDENT

Instructions:

The following statements are intended to determine the level of your awareness on R.A. 9175 with
particular emphasis on DENR A.O. 2003-24.

Kindly check the option that corresponds to your level of awareness.

1- Strongly Not Aware 2- Not Aware

3- Aware 4- Strongly Aware

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 DENR AO 2003-24: Implementing Rules and Regulation of the Chainsaw (Strongly (Not (Aware) (Strongly
Act of 2002 (RA No. 9175) Entitled “An Act Regulating the Ownership, Not Aware) Aware)
Possession, Sale, Importation, and Use of Chainsaws, Penalizing Violation Aware)
Thereof and For Other Purposes
1 2 3 4

General Awareness
This is to determine your awareness about the existence of the law [as subject of this study].

1. There is a law intended to regulate the ownership, possession,

sale, importation, and use of chainsaws (RA No. 9175).

Policy Objectives
This aims to examine your awareness on the objectives of the abovementioned law.
2. This law is generally intended to prevent illegal logging
through the process of monitoring and regulating a local
database of existing number of the purchase, ownership, and
authorized users of chainsaws.
3. This law is formulated to safeguard and conserve the natural
forest resources with the aid of sustainable forest management
designed to eliminate illegal logging.
4. This law is made to address all illegal logging and forest
destruction practices which are mainly because of the
unauthorized and illegal use or possession of chainsaws.
5. This law promotes the creation and maintenance of national and
local databases of all authorized chainsaws, other related
pertinent transactions, and relevant information.
6. This law is implemented to completely oversee the importation
and utilization of chainsaws as well as related arrangements.
Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force
This section aims to examine your awareness on the composition of the Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force as mandated by Executive
Order 23 series of 2011
1. The law creates a Task Force which is mandated to take the
lead in anti-illegal logging campaign.
2. The Task Force shall be assisted by any department, bureau,
and office of the executive branch – this includes LGU - in the
discharge of its functions.
3. The Task Force shall assist the DENR in the enforcement of
other environmental laws.
Policy Implementation
This section aims to determine your level of awareness on the policy implementation mechanisms and processes [Procedures,
Monitoring and Penalization.
1. The law prohibits the issuance of any logging contracts or
agreements in all types of forests.
2. The law prohibits the issuance/renewal of tree cutting permits
in all natural and residual forests nationwide, except for
clearing of road right of way by the DPWH and other
government-essential activities provided that all logs derived
from the said cutting permits shall be turned over to the DENR
for proper disposal.
3. The law mandates for a review and evaluation (at least twice)
of all existing forests management agreements and terminate
those who have violated the forests laws.
4. The law mandates the closure and does not allow the operation
of all wood processing factory or shops that are unable to
present proof of sustainable sources of legally cut logs for a
period of at least five (5) years.
5. The release and granting of Certificate of Registration for
chainsaws are being highly monitored by the local government
unit as spearheaded by the DENR and duly constituted
authorities guided by prescribed categories.
6. The law mandates the authorized agencies to identify registered
chainsaws and require a serialized sticker attached to
equipment with its registration number, date of registration, and
expiry date to ensure the legality of ownership to be keep on

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 displayed.
7. The law orders that the certificate of Registrations of chainsaws
for authorized purposes is valid for two (2) years upon issuance
and renewable as per the terms and conditions.
8. The law mandates certain requirements of all applicants for
chainsaw registration must be submitted to the authorized
agencies such as the LGU, DENR or CENRO to obtain the
Certificate of Registration and its renewal.
9. The law stated that all permits and authority to purchase,
import, manufacture, sell, re-sell, dispose, distribute, transfer of
ownership, lease, rent, or lend must also be granted by duly
constituted authorities through the accomplishment of certain
requirements.
10. The law clearly mandated that all copies of the permits,
authority, and Certificate of Registrations must be kept by the
manufacturer or importer, owner, and the concerned authorities,
such as the LGU and CENRO. Certificate of Registrations and
the official receipt of registration must be with the person
operating the chainsaws at all times.
11. The law strictly mandates that selling, purchasing, transferring
the ownership, distributing, or disposing chainsaws without a
proper permit shall be punished accordingly with imprisonment
and fines.
12. The law stated that the persons with no prior authorization that
manufactured or imported chainsaws shall be punished
accordingly with imprisonment and fines.
13. R.A 9175 mandated that any acts of tampering and defacing of
engine serial numbers of registered chainsaws shall be punished
accordingly with imprisonment and fines.
14. Persons who may in possession of chainsaws and use it to clear
trees and timber in forest areas that are not authorized by the
DENR shall be punished with imprisonment and fines. The
chainsaws shall also be confiscated accordingly.
15. R.A 9175 mandated that third parties or any persons,
corporations, or partnerships that worked together for illegal-
logging and clearing of forests shall also be imposed with the
punishment of imprisonment and fines.
16. The law clearly mandates that any public officials or
government employees found to have transactions with illegal
logging and forest destruction practices shall be immediately
removed from office and be perpetually disqualified from
holding any public office.
17. The law mandates that the chainsaws confiscated must be
turned over to the authorized agencies identified by the DENR,
and shall sell the same through a public auction which proceeds
shall accrue to the Department and concerned agencies.
18. The law mandates that the informer who voluntary gave
information of the illegal practice in conformity with the
guidelines will receive A certain percentage of 20% as a reward
from the auctioned chainsaw/s.

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III. Level of Effectiveness of Policy Implementation

Instructions:

The following statements are intended to determine your perceived level of effectiveness on the
implementation of DENR A.O. 2003-24.

Kindly check the option that corresponds to your level of awareness.

1- Strongly Not Effective 2- Not Effective

3- Effective 4- Strongly Effective

III. POLICY IMPLEMENTATION ASSESSMENT (DENR A.O. 2003-24)

(Strongly Not (Not Effective) (Effective) (Strongly

Implementation Aspect Effective) Effective)
1 2
3 4
Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force
This section aims to know your assessment on the quality of performance of the Task Force regarding their mandated functions.
1. The LGU of Sofronio Española, as part of
Anti-Illegal Logging Local Task Force, leads
the anti-illegal logging campaign in the
municipality by ensuring the strict
implementation of the Administrative Order
under the supervision of the PCSD/DENR.
2. The LGU of Sofronio Española, as part of
Anti-Illegal Logging Local Task Force,
conducts search and other measures to ensure
the safety of the forests from illegal loggers.
3. The LGU of Sofronio Española, as part of
Anti-Illegal Logging Local Task Force,
respects the Indigenous Peoples Right Act of
tree cutting subject to strict compliance with
existing guidelines.

4. The LGU of Sofronio Española, as part of

Anti-Illegal Logging Local Task Force,
coordinates with the residents to ensure the
coordination and collective efforts in
protecting the forest from illegal loggers.
5. The LGU of Sofronio Española, as part of
Anti-Illegal Logging Local Task Force, is not
involved in any corrupt practices and strictly
implements the law.

Monitoring Mechanism
This section aims to know your assessment on the monitoring mechanism of the policy implementation.
1. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly
ensures and checks that a certificate of
registration (chainsaw) is only given to those
individuals who meet the standards set by the
law.
2. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly
monitors and ensures that those individuals
carrying permits (to own and carry chainsaw)
are carefully and consistently follow the law.
3. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly
ensures and checks that those individuals
dispose or possesses a chainsaw without
serving the necessary permit will be punished

65
 with imprisonment and fines.
4. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly
monitors and ensures that those individuals
found to use chainsaw without the authority
will be penalized with imprisonment and
fines.
5. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly
monitors and ensures that selling, purchasing,
transferring of ownership, or disposing
chainsaws without a proper permit will be
punished with imprisonment and fines.
6. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly
ensures and checks that tampering and
defacing of engine serial numbers of
registered chainsaws will be punished with
imprisonment and fines.
7. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly
monitors and ensures that any persons or
corporations that worked together for illegal-
logging will be penalized with imprisonment
and fines.
8. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly
monitors and ensures that officials found to
have transactions with illegal-logging
practices are immediately removed and
disqualified from their position.
9. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly
ensures and checks that chainsaws
confiscated are turned over to DENR that
shall sell through a public sale.
10. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly
monitors and ensures that individuals who
voluntarily gave information of the illegal
practice will receive 20% reward from the
auction.
11. The LGU of Sofronio Española strictly
monitors and ensures that all violators are
provided with corresponding penalties and
liable to their violation.
Overall Assessment
This aims to know your overall assessment on the effectiveness of the implementation
1. The implementation of the law prevents
illegal logging practices through the process
of monitoring and regulating a local database
of existing number of the purchase,
ownership, and authorized users of chainsaws
in Espanola.
2. The implementation of the law leads to the
protection and conservation of the natural
forest resources with the aid of sustainable
forest management designed to eliminate
illegal logging practices in Espanola.
3. The implementation of the law directly
addresses all illegal logging and forest
destruction practices thus, the Espanola
maintains, protects, and conserves its healthy
and green forests.
4. The implementation of the law encourages the
active involvement of the residents of
Espanola in protecting as well as conserving
its natural forests.
5. The implementation of the law leads to
various quality and committed environmental
protection initiatives of Espanola.

66
 Appendix B

Dear Respondents,

Good day!

The researchers are conducting a research entitled “Perception of the Residents

of Sofronio Española, Palawan on the Effectiveness of R.A 9175 (Otherwise known
as Chainsaw Act” to know the perceptions of the residents regarding the current issue.

Several open-ended questions are included in this survey questionnaire. The

researchers would like to ask for your utmost cooperation and pure honesty and sincerity
in answering the questions. In return, the researchers will assure you that your identity
and responses will remain confidential.

Thank you very much, God bless you!

Respectfully yours,

Guilaran, Jesther Xanne S.

Ruhen, Reyna Michelle U.

Suyu, Winky B.

Researchers

Noted by:
(Sgd.) ZORELLE V. ALANIS-SIORES, MA
Thesis Adviser

67
 Appendix B.2

Barangay Captain

Greetings, Sir/ Ma’am!

The researchers are conducting a research entitled “Perception of the Residents

of Sofronio Española, Palawan on the Effectiveness of R.A 9175 (Otherwise known
as Chainsaw Act” to know the perceptions of the residents regarding the current issue.

In connection with this, the researchers would like to ask permission from your
office to conduct a research to all barangay officials of Sofronio Española.

The researchers are hoping for your kind consideration and approval for this
request.

Thank you very much!

Respectfully yours,

Guilaran, Jesther Xanne S.

Ruhen, Reyna Michelle U.

Suyu, Winky B.

Researchers

Noted by:

(Sgd.) ZORELLE V. ALANIS-SIORES, MA

Thesis Adviser

68
 Appendix C
INFORMED CONSENT FORM

Research Title Perception of the Residents of Sofronio Española, Palawan on the Effectiveness of R.A 9175 (Otherwise
known as Chainsaw Act

Overview of the This study will be undertaken to find out the perception of the selected residents of Sofronio Española on
Research the effectiveness on implementing anti-illegal logging policy within their municipality which containing
laws prohibiting illegal logging and among others.

Research The nature and extent of your participation in this project revolve [around] in answering the questions
Ethics Statements provided or enumerated in the questionnaire.

Your participation in this research is completely VOLUNTARY. Rest assured that your answers will be
kept confidential and anonymous following the Data Privacy Act of 2012. The information collected will
be reported in an aggregate form and your name/office will in no way be identifiable in the research
report.

The records and data gathered will be kept confidential until the study has been done. All data and
survey questionnaires will be shredded.

No individual real identities will be used in any publications as a result of this study. The use of pseudo
names will be utilized if needed, and no data will be released without the consent of the participant. No
respondent shall be forced to participate in any point of the study. The participant has the right to
withdraw from the study before, during, and after the data collection process. Bribery is strictly
prohibited. Influence and/or pressure from higher authorities in answering the survey questionnaire are
considered unethical.

The research participants/respondents are given the right to ask questions, inquiries, and express
concerns regarding the content of the study, its result, findings, and possible publication.

Monetary or in-kind compensation for research participants must not be so large as to persuade them to
volunteer against their better judgment or deeply held beliefs.
Guilaran, Jesther Xanne S.
Contact person Ruhen, Reyna Michelle U.
Knowledgeable about Suyu, Winky B.
the Research Project
Researchers

ZORELLE V. ALANIS-SIORES, MA
Thesis Adviser

Consent Statement I am willing to participate in this study. I have fully understood what this undertaking will entail. The
researchers has explained to me its purpose and objectives, the method/s of getting data, the extent of my
participation as well as remuneration and other benefits that will derive from my involvement.

69
I have not been forced or involuntarily induced to be involved. I am aware that I can freely withdraw my
involvement from this study whenever I wish.

___________________________
Name and Signature of Researcher

__________________________ ___________
Name and Signature (Optional) or Date
Name of Participant/Respondent

70
 Appendix D
PALAWAN STATE UNIVERSITY
College of Arts and Humanities
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

PROF. RESTIE ALLAN A. PUNO, MAED

Dean
This College

Dear Dean Puno:

Warm Greetings!
We, the undersigned, are Bachelor of Arts in Political Science students currently
pursuing a thesis entitled “Perception of the Residents of Sofronio Española, Palawan on
the Effectiveness of R.A 9175 (Otherwise known as Chainsaw Act” in Sofronio
Española, Palawan. Specifically, the main expected output of this study is to relay
proposals and recommendations to the local government of Sofronio Espanola about the
particular aspects to be accomplished and improved from the perspective of the
community.
To achieve this goal, we would like to ask for permission to allow us gather
relevant and significant data from our research locale. Specifically, in four (4) barangays:
Brgy. Iraray, Brgy. Panitian, Brgy. Pulot Center, and Brgy. Punang.
We are hoping for a positive response to our letter.
Thank you very much and stay safe!

Respectfully yours,

The Researchers
Noted by:
(Sgd.) ZORELLE V. ALANIS-SIORES, MA
Thesis Adviser

71
 Appendix D.2
PALAWAN STATE UNIVERSITY
College of Arts and Humanities
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

MS. JAZELLE DYANA LIZZ ZERRUDO, MA

Research Teacher, College of Arts and Humanities
Palawan State University

Dear Ms. Zerrudo:

We, the undersigned, are Bachelor of Arts in Political Science students currently
pursuing a thesis proposal entitled “Perception of the Residents of Sofronio Española,
Palawan on the Effectiveness of R.A 9175 (Otherwise known as Chainsaw Act)”.
As one of the final requirements in completing this program, this paper aims to
make a significant contribution to the existing literature in Sofronio Española, Palawan.
Specifically, the main expected output of this study is to relay proposals and
recommendations to the local government of Sofronio Espanola about the particular
aspects to be accomplished and improved from the perspective of the community.
To achieve this goal, we would like to ask you for a schedule of our proposal
defense.
We are hoping for a positive response to our letter.
Thank you very much and stay safe!

Respectfully yours,

The Researchers
Noted by:
(Sgd.) ZORELLE V. ALANIS-SIORES, MA
Thesis Adviser
Appendix D.3

72
 PALAWAN STATE UNIVERSITY
College of Arts and Humanities
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

24 May 2021
_______________

Dear ___________,

Warm Greetings!

We are 3rd year College students from the Palawan State University, College of
Arts and Humanities under the program of Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. In
partial fulfillment to our Introduction to Political Analysis and Research subject, our
group proposes a research entitled “Perception of the Residents of Sofronio Española,
Palawan on the Effectiveness of R.A 9175 (Otherwise known as Chainsaw Act.”
One of the main expected outputs of this study is to relay proposals and
recommendations to the local government of Sofronio Espanola about the particular
aspects to be accomplished and improved from the perspective of the community.
In this regard, we are humbly requesting you to sit as one of our panelists to our
research proposal defense on the 27th of May 2021, 9:40 A.M through a virtual video
conferencing.

Attached herewith is the copy of our research manuscript for your perusal.

Your positive response will be highly appreciated. Thank you so much!

Sincerely yours,

The Researchers

Noted by:
(Sgd.) ZORELLE V. ALANIS-SIORES, MA
Thesis Adviser
Appendix E

73
 STATISTICAL TREATMENTS

Frequency Counts and Weighted Mean of Local Officials

TOTAL % MEAN

615 78.44387755 3.137755102

618 78.82653061 3.153061224

633 80.73979592 3.229591837

632 80.6122449 3.224489796

610 77.80612245 3.112244898

602 76.78571429 3.071428571

616 78.57142857 3.142857143

627 79.9744898 3.198979592

622 79.33673469 3.173469388

601 76.65816327 3.066326531

604 77.04081633 3.081632653

569 72.57653061 2.903061224

594 75.76530612 3.030612245

611 77.93367347 3.117346939

597 76.14795918 3.045918367

577 73.59693878 2.943877551

600 76.53061224 3.06122449

587 74.87244898 2.994897959

600 76.53061224 3.06122449

591 75.38265306 3.015306122

597 76.14795918 3.045918367

587 74.87244898 2.994897959

619 78.95408163 3.158163265

607 77.42346939 3.096938776

609 77.67857143 3.107142857

572 72.95918367 2.918367347

558 71.17346939 2.846938776

632 80.6122449 3.224489796

592 75.51020408 3.020408163

593 75.6377551 3.025510204

593 75.6377551 3.025510204

587 74.87244898 2.994897959

74
 614 78.31632653 3.132653061

612 78.06122449 3.12244898

609 77.67857143 3.107142857

610 77.80612245 3.112244898

590 75.25510204 3.010204082

594 75.76530612 3.030612245

616 78.57142857 3.142857143

613 78.18877551 3.12755102

596 76.02040816 3.040816327

574 73.21428571 2.928571429

606 77.29591837 3.091836735

614 78.31632653 3.132653061

634 80.86734694 3.234693878

624 79.59183673 3.183673469

630 80.35714286 3.214285714

631 80.48469388 3.219387755

Frequency Counts and Weighted Mean of Local Residents

TOTAL % MEAN

614 78.31632653 3.132653061

619 78.95408163 3.158163265

658 83.87096774 3.35483871

644 82.14285714 3.285714286

612 78.06122449 3.12244898

610 77.55376344 3.102150538

656 83.67346939 3.346938776

652 83.16326531 3.326530612

651 83.06451613 3.322580645

620 79.08163265 3.163265306

621 79.20918367 3.168367347

588 75 3

625 79.71938776 3.18877551

624 79.59183673 3.183673469

623 79.70430108 3.188172043

598 76.2755102 3.051020408

613 78.18877551 3.12755102

75
583 74.05913978 2.962365591

627 79.9744898 3.198979592

603 76.91326531 3.076530612

618 78.76344086 3.150537634

607 77.42346939 3.096938776

634 80.86734694 3.234693878

622 79.56989247 3.182795699

616 78.57142857 3.142857143

579 73.85204082 2.954081633

547 69.48924731 2.779569892

596 76.02040816 3.040816327

597 76.14795918 3.045918367

588 74.7311828 2.989247312

577 73.59693878 2.943877551

553 70.53571429 2.821428571

577 73.52150538 2.940860215

591 75.38265306 3.015306122

597 76.14795918 3.045918367

614 78.62903226 3.14516129

595 75.89285714 3.035714286

597 76.14795918 3.045918367

605 77.28494624 3.091397849

605 77.16836735 3.086734694

590 75.25510204 3.010204082

566 72.04301075 2.88172043

596 76.02040816 3.040816327

597 76.14795918 3.045918367

619 78.89784946 3.155913978

617 78.69897959 3.147959184

619 78.95408163 3.158163265

627 80.10752688 3.204301075

76
 Appendix E.2

Distribution of Deference between the Perception of Local Officials and Local Residents

t-Test: Two-Sample Assuming Unequal

Variances

Local
Officials Local Residents
Mean 3.084502551 3.101989384
Variance 0.008490374 0.015754261
Observations 48 48
Hypothesized Mean Difference 0
df 86
t Stat -0.778079484
P(T<=t) one-tail 0.219328788
t Critical one-tail 1.662765449
P(T<=t) two-tail 0.438657576
t Critical two-tail 1.987934206

Weighted Mean of Local Officials and Local Residents on their Level of Awareness

Local Officials Local Residents

Mean 3.071617536 3.148229423

Weighted Mean of Local Officials and Local Residents on the Effectiveness of Policy
Implementation

Local Officials Local Residents

Mean 3.101068999 3.042537906

77
 Appendix F

CURRICULUM VITAE

Name: Jesther Xanne Sagala Guilaran

Address: Purok Kaakbayan, Bgy. Tiniguiban, PPC

Date of Birth: February 5, 2000

Place of Birth: Ipilan, Brooke’s Point, Palawan

Age: 21 yrs. Old

Citizenship: Filipino

Religion: Baptist, Christian

Parents Name: Occupation:

Sonny G. Guilaran Van Driver

Jerlina S. Guilaran Self-employed

Educational Background:

Elementary: Tiniguiban Elementary School

S.Y 2006-2012

Junior High School: Palawan National School

S.Y 2012-2016

Senior High School: Palawan National School

S.Y 2016-2018

Tertiary: Palawan State University

2018- Date

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

78
 Appendix F.2

CURRICULUM VITAE

Name: Reyna Michelle U. Ruhen

Address: Purok Bagong Silanh, Bgy. Iraan, Aborlan

Date of Birth: December 13, 1999

Place of Birth: Puerto Princesa Palawan

Age: 21 yrs. Old

Citizenship: Filipino

Religion: Roman Catholic

Parents Name: Occupation:

Douglas Eric Ruhen Retired ADB Accountant

Jasmin B. Ubani Self-employed

Educational Background:

Elementary: Valleyside Christian School

S.Y 2006-2012

Junior High School: Aborlan National High School- Special Science Class

S.Y 2012-2016

Senior High School: Western Philippines University- Agricultural Science High School

S.Y 2016-2018

Tertiary: Palawan State University

2018- Date

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

79
 Appendix F.3

CURRICULUM VITAE

Name: Winky B. Suyu

Address: Sandoval Taytay Palawan

Date of Birth: June 6, 1999

Place of Birth: Busy Bees Taytay Palawan

Age: 21 yrs. Old

Citizenship: Filipino

Religion: Roman Catholic

Parents Name: Occupation:

James B. Suyu Farmers

Adelina B. Suyu Housewife

Educational Background:

Elementary: Busy Bees Elementary School

S.Y 2005-2012

Junior High School: Sandoval National High School

S.Y 2012-2016

Senior High School: Sandoval National High School

S.Y 2016-2018

Tertiary: Palawan State University

2018- Date

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

80
 Appendix G

DOCUMENTATIONS

Sending letters of request to Actual Data Gathering, Researchers are

conduct our research study in discussing their questionnaire to the tricycle
Sofronio Espanola (10-04-21) drivers at Public Market (10-24-21)

Actual Data Gathering, Researchers conducting their study in every selected

elementary and secondary school at Sofronio Espanola

81
 Researchers conducting and discussing
their study to the Barangay Officials

Researchers conducting their study at Philippine National

Police- Sofronio Espanola Station

Actual Data Gathering, Researchers are Data Analysis- Researchers encoding and
discussing their questionnaire to the analyzing the Data they gathered
Palm-Oil Workers and Supervisor

82