STEPHEN JORGE A. ESPARAGOZA LLB-3 NATRES SUMMERPART II. Major Philippine Environmental Laws(Features of Each law)1.) Forestry Code of the Philippines (PD705). (a) The multiple uses of forest lands shall be oriented to the development and progress requirements of the country, the advancement of science and technology, and the public welfare;(b) Land classification and survey shall be systematized and hastened;(c) The establishment of wood-processing plants shall be encouraged and rationalized; and(d) The protection, development and rehabilitation of forest lands shall be emphasized so as to ensure their continuity in productive condition.2.) Water Code of the Philippines (PD 1067 as amended)(a) To establish the basic principles and framework relating to the appropriation, control and conservation of water resources to achieve the optimum development and rational utilization of these resources;(b) To define the extent of the rights and obligations of water users and owners including the protection and regulation of such rights;(c) To adopt a basic law governing the ownership, appropriation, utilization, exploitation, development, conservation and protection of water resources and rights to land related thereto; and(d) To identify the administrative agencies which will enforce this Code.

3.) Fisheries Code (R.A.8550)(a) to achieve food security as the overriding consideration in the utilization, management, development, conservation and protection of fishery resources in order to provide the food needs of the population. A flexible policy towards the attainment of food security shall be adopted in response to changes in demographic trends for fish, emerging trends in the trade of fish and other aquatic products in domestic and international markets, and the law of supply and demand;lawphi1(b) to limit access to the fishery and aquatic resources of the Philippines for the exclusive use and enjoyment of Filipino citizens;(c) to ensure the rational and sustainable development, management and conservation of the fishery and aquatic resources in Philippine waters including the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and in the adjacent high seas, consistent with the primordial objective of maintaining a sound ecological balance, protecting and enhancing the quality of the environment;(d) to protect the rights of fisherfolk, especially of the local communities with priority to municipal fisherfolk, in the preferential use of the municipal waters. Such preferential use, shall be based on, but not limited to, Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) or Total Allowable Catch (TAC) on the basis of resources and ecological conditions, and shall be consistent with our commitments under international treaties and agreements;(e) to provide support to the fishery sector, primarily to the municipal fisherfolk, including women and youth sectors, through appropriate technology and research, adequate financial, production, construction of post-harvest facilities, marketing assistance, and other services. The protection of municipal fisherfolk against foreign intrusion shall extend to offshore fishing grounds. Fishworkers shall receive a just share for their labor in the utilization of marine and fishery resources;(f) to manage fishery and aquatic resources, in a manner consistent with the concept of an integrated coastal area management in specific natural fishery management areas, appropriately supported by research, technical services and guidance provided by the State; and(g) to grant the private sector the privilege to utilize fishery resources under the basic concept that the grantee, licensee or permittee thereof shall not only be a privileged beneficiary of the State but also active participant and partner of the Government in the sustainable development, management, conservation and protection of the fishery and aquatic resources of the country.The state shall ensure the attainment of the following objectives of the fishery sector:1. Conservation, protection and sustained management of the country's fishery and aquatic resources;2. Poverty alleviation and the provision of supplementary livelihood among municipal fisherfolk;3. Improvement of productivity of aquaculture within ecological limits;4. Optimal utilization of offshore and deep-sea resources; and5. Upgrading of post-harvest technology.

4.) Clean Air Act (R.A. 8749) The State shall pursue a policy of balancing development andenvironmental protection. To achieve this end, the frame work for sustainable development shall be pursued. Itshall be the policy of the State to:[a] Formulate a holistic national program of air pollution management that shall be implemented by thegovernment through proper delegation and effective coordination of functions and activities;[b] Encourage cooperation and self-regulation among citizens and industries through the application ofmarket-based instruments;[c] Focus primarily on pollution prevention rather than on control and provide for a comprehensivemanagement program for air pollution;[d] Promote public information and education and to encourage the participation of an informed and activepublic in air quality planning and monitoring; and[e] Formulate and enforce a system of accountability for short and long-term adverse environmental impact of aproject, program or activity. This shall include the setting up of a funding or guarantee mechanism for clean-upand environmental rehabilitation and compensation for personal damages.

5.) Solid Waste Management Act (RA 9003)(a) Ensure the protection of the public health and environment;(b) Utilize environmentally-sound methods that maximize the utilization of valuable resources and encourage resource conservation and recovery;(c) Set guidelines and targets for solid waste avoidance and volume reduction through source reduction and waste minimization measures, including composting, recycling, re-use, recovery, green charcoal process, and others, before collection, treatment and disposal in appropriate and environmentally sound solid waste management facilities in accordance with ecologically sustainable development principles;(d) Ensure the proper segregation, collection, transport, storage, treatment and disposal of solid waste through the formulation and adoption of the best environmental practice in ecological waste management excluding incineration;(e) Promote national research and development programs for improved solid waste management and resource conservation techniques, more effective institutional arrangement and indigenous and improved methods of waste reduction, collection, separation and recovery;(f) Encourage greater private sector participation in solid waste management;(g) Retain primary enforcement and responsibility of solid waste management with local government units while establishing a cooperative effort among the national government, other local government units, non- government organizations, and the private sector;(h) Encourage cooperation and self-regulation among waste generators through the application of market-based instruments;(i) Institutionalize public participation in the development and implementation of national and local integrated, comprehensive, and ecological waste management programs; and(j) Strength the integration of ecological solid waste management and resource conservation and recovery topics into the academic curricula of formal and non-formal education in order to promote environmental awareness and action among the citizenry.

6.) Clean Water Act (R.A.9275)The State shall pursue a policy of economic growth in a manner consistent with the protection, preservation and revival of the quality of our fresh, brackish and marine waters. To achieve this end, the framework for sustainable development shall be pursued. As such, it shall be the policy of the State:a) To streamline processes and procedures in the prevention, control and abatement of pollution of the country's water resources;b) To promote environmental strategies, use of appropriate economic instruments and of control mechanisms for the protection of water resources;c) To formulate a holistic national program of water quality management that recognizes that water quality management issues cannot be separated from concerns about water sources and ecological protection, water supply, public health and quality of life;d) To formulate an integrated water quality management framework through proper delegation and effective coordination of functions and activities;e) promote commercial and industrial processes and products that are environment friendly and energy efficient;f) To encourage cooperation and self-regulation among citizens and industries through the application of incentives and market-based instruments and to promote the role of private industrial enterprises in shaping its regulatory profile within the acceptable boundaries of public health and environment;g) To provide for a comprehensive management program for water pollution focusing on pollution prevention;h) To promote public information and education and to encourage the participation of an informed and active public in water quality management and monitoring;i) To formulate and enforce a system of accountability for short and long-term adverse environmental impact of a project, program or activity; andj) To encourage civil society and other sectors, particularly labor, the academe and business undertaking environment-related activities in their efforts to organize, educate and motivate the people in addressing pertinent environmental issues and problems at the local and national levels.7.) NIPAS (R.A. 7586) Considering the diversity of Mt. Kanla-on's biological resources and its aesthetic, socio-cultural, economic and ecological importance to the Island of Negros, it is hereby declared the policy of the State to ensure its protection and conservation including its communities of people and their culture and way of life insofar as they are in harmony with nature. The protection and conservation of MKNP shall be pursued through sustainable and participatory development, advancing and protecting the interests of its legitimate inhabitants, and honoring customary laws in accordance with Republic Act No. 7586 or the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act of 1992, Republic Act No. 8371 or the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997, and international conventions to which the Philippines is a signatory.8.) Wildlife Law (R.A.9174)It shall be the policy of the State to conserve the country's wildlife resources and their habitats for sustainability. In the pursuit of this policy, this Act shall have the following objectives:(a) to conserve and protect wildlife species and their habitats to promote ecological balance and enhance biological diversity;(b) to regulate the collection and trade of wildlife;(c) to pursue, with due regard to the national interest, the Philippine commitment to international conventions, protection of wildlife and their habitats; and(d) to initiate or support scientific studies on the conservation of biological diversity.

9.) Animal Welfare Act (R.A. 8485)It is the purpose of this Act to protect and promote the welfare of all animals in the Philippines by supervising end regulating the establishment and operations of all facilities utilized for breeding, maintaining, keeping, treating or training of all animals either as objects of trade or as household pets. For purposes of this Act, pet animals shall include birds.

10.) Environmental Impact Assessment Law and Rules (P.D. 1586)It is the national policy to attain and maintain a rational and orderly balance between socio-economic growth and environmental conservation and protection; There is an urgent need to bring about an intensive, integrated program of environmental protection through a requirement of environmental impact assessments and statements; The environmental impact statement system established under Presidential Decree No. 1586 calls for the proper management of environmentally critical area, The pursuit of a comprehensive and integrated environmental protection program necessitates the establishment and institutionalization of a system whereby the exigencies of socio-economic undertakings can be reconciled with the requirements of environmental protection and conservation; The national leadership mandates the establishment of such a system to regulate and minimize the environmental impacts of projects and undertakings which may significantly affect the quality of the environment in Presidential Decree No. 1586, and in the effective implementation of such a system, there arises the need to identify and declare certain projects determined to be environmentally critical.

11.) Energy Laws (Renewable Energy Act, EPIRA, Biofuels Act)The law is intended to accelerate the development and commercialization of renewable energy resources in the Philippines. Among other items, the Act includes the setting up of the Renewable Portfolio Standard which sets a minimum percentage of generation from renewable energy resources by power generators, distribution utilities and suppliers; the creation of a Renewable Energy Market; and the adoption of the Feed-In Tariff (FIT) System. RA 9513 also provides for fiscal incentives to renewable energy (RE) developers of renewable energy facilities, including hybrid systems, in proportion to and to the extent of the RE component, for both power and non-power applications