DENR HISTORY Commerce (DAC) with the addition of Bureau of

Commerce. It also splitted the Bureau of Agriculture

1837 into the Bureau of Plant industry and Bureau of
The Inspeccion General de Minas was created animal industry.
through a royal decree under a Spanish regime. It
was in charge of the administration and disposition 1933
of mineral and mineral lands in the Ph. The following entities were organized and placed
under the direct control and supervision of the DAC
1863 Secretary: Division of Accounts and Property,
The Inspeccion General de Montes in the Ph was Statistics and publication, mineral resources,
created by virtue of a Spanish Royal Decree. Its industrial engineering, home economics and
functions and responsibilities included several navigation, fish and game administration, fiber
concerns related to the management of a wide inspection service, and scientific library.
range of natural resources such as forest inventory
and protection, land classification, watershed 1934-1938
protection, water, biodiversity, and mineral The following divisions were reorganized and
resources conservation. placed under the Bureau of Science: mineral
resources, industrial engineering, home economics,
1886 fish and game administration, and scientific library.
The Inspeccion General de Minas was abolished, The division of accounts and property was
and its function and personnel are merged to abolished. The bureau of mines (out of the division
General Directorate of Civil Administration. of mineral resources) was created by the virtue of
CA 136.
1898
The Departamento de Fomento or the Department 1938-1941
of Public Welfare was established by a decree The fish and game administration was separated,
signed by Emilio Aguinaldo. One of its division was with functions related to fish and fisheries placed
the Industry and Agricultural Division, and one of its under the division of fisheries of DAC, while those
sections was the Mines and Mountains Section. related to game administration were placed under
the bureau of forestry.
1900
The Americans came ad re-organized the 1947
government, resulting to the implementation of Reorganization brought back the name Department
General Order No. 31, which created the Mining of Agriculture and natural resources (DANR)
Bureau
1953
1901 The bureau of agricultural extension was added to
The Department of Interior was created and vested the DANR
with powers and authority on matters that included
natural resources. Insular Bureau of Public Land 1966
was created by virtue of Act 218. The laguna lake development authority was
established by the virtue of RA 4850
1916
The Philippines Government issued Act No. 2666 1974
“An act to reorganize the Executive Department of Pd 461 reorganized DANR into DA and DNR.
the Government of the Philippine Islands”. The following line bureaus and attached agencies
Transferring the function and authority regarding were placed under the DNR.
agriculture and natural resources from the Bureau of forest development
Department of interior to the Department of Bureau of mines
Agriculture and Natural Resources. Bureaus Bureau of lands
under its supervision include Agriculture, Forestry, Bureau of fisheries and aquatic resources
Lands, Science, and water. National committee for mineral exploration and
survey operations (NAMESCO)
1932 Presidential committee on wood industries
The new reorganization act was passed, renaming development
the DANR to Department of Agriculture and Fishery industry development council
Mineral reservations board the bureau of forest development and wood
Presidential action committee on land problems industry development authority
Land management bureau (LMB) as the central
1976 office of the bureau of lands while integrating the
Pd 977 created the Philippine fish marketing district land offices of the DERN field offices.
authority Mines and geoscience bureau (MGB) absorbing
On the other hand, PD 1041 established the natural the functions of the bureau if mines and
resources management center geoscience, the abolished mineral resources
development board and the gold mining industry
1977 assistance board.
PD 1121 created national environmental protection Environmental management bureau (EMB)
council (NEPC) integrating the national environmental protection
council (NEPC), national pollution control
1978 commission (NPCC), and environmental center of
PD 1305 established the mineral reservation the Philippines (ECP)
development board, which takes over the power Ecosystem Research and development bureau
and function of the abolished SMRB (ERDB) as a merger of the foremen forest research
A shift to the parliamentary form of the government institute and national mangrove committee
led to the renaming of DNR to the ministry of Protected areas and wildlife bureau (PAWB)
natural resources (MNR) The following agencies and corporations were also
attached to the DENR:
1979 National mapping and resource information
Pd 1281 renamed the bureau mines as the bureau authority (NAMRIA) which was created under EO
of mines and geoscience and made it more 192 and integrated the functions and powers of the
responsive to its varied functions natural resources management center, national
cartography authority, bureau of coast and geodetic
1982 survey, and the land classification teams of the
EO 786 created the natural resources development former bureau of forest development.
corporation as the corporate arms of the MNR The existing NRDC through EO 192 and the
Nationa electrification administration (NEA)
1985 The following were detached from the DEENR:
Fish and fisheries concerns were transferred to the The manila seedling bank foundation. The bureau
Ministry of Agriculture, leaving the MNR with only of energy utilization. And the bureau of energy
three bureaus aside from the attached entities development.
The NEA was later transferred to the Department of
1987 Energy.
EO 131 is issued on Jan 30m creating the
Department of Energy, Environment and Natural 1988
Resources (DEENR). Taking the powers and The DENR officially placed NAMRIA under its wing
functions of MNR. through DAO 31
It also incorporated the emerging critical concerns
about energy and environment. The EO, however, 1992
was not implemented. The strategic environmental plan for the province of
The government issued EO 192 on June 10, palawan was created through RA 7611. The plan
reorganizing DEENR and renaming it as was implemented under the palawan council for
Department of Environment and Natural Resources sustainable development.
(DENR) While transferring the energy matters to
the office of the president. 1993
The bureaucracy is decentralized with the EO 149 streamlined the office of the president and
transformation of former line bureaus to staff annexed the LLDA to the DENR.
bureaus and most of the line functions to the
regional and field offices. 1995
It names the following: RA 7942 was passed, restoring the line functions of
Forest management bureau (FMB) integrating the MGB, and providing for the creation of its
and absorbing most of the powers and functions of regional offices nationwide.
1996
EO 374 was issued, creating the presidential task
force on water resources development and
management (PTFWRDM). The EO tasked the
PTFWRDM to coordinate projects of various
government agencies and department involved in
water to ensure efficient management and
development of water resources

1999
RA 8749 or the Ph Clean Air Act was passed,
transforming EMB from a staff bureau to a line one.
And mandating it to be a lead agency in the overall
implementation of the laws provisions.
The pasig river rehabilitation commission (PRRC)
was created by virtue of EO 54 and attached to the
DENR in the same year through EO 65

2002
EO 123 was issued, abolishing the PTFWRDM
while reconstituting the national water resources
board (NWRB) transferring it from the DPWH to the
office of the President
The EO also named the DENR SEC as the NWRB
chair.

2003
The Philippine mining development corporation was
also created under dao 2003-38 and placed under
DENR

2005
The government issued EO 366 directing agencies
under the executive branch toreview their
operations and organizations and providing options
and incentive for government employees who may
be affected by rationalization of the agencies and
functions.

2006
The Philippine reclamation authority was created
under EO 543

2008
EO 734 transferred the Palawan council for
sustainable development to the DENR

2009
The PRA formerly known as the Philippine estate
authority was transferred from DPWH to the DENR
by virtue of EO 798

2010
The composition and power of NWRB were
redefined by virtue Of EO 860.
 later transferred to the Philippine School of Trade
and Arts (PSTA). The first Filipino to head the
bureau was the former revolutionary general, Gen.
Brief History OF LMB Manuel Tinio which held office from 1913 - 1914.

Promoting Social Equity by Giving Public Amendment of Act 926

Agricultural Lands to the Rural Masses
Finding the potential impact of the disposition
The Land Management Bureau (National) (and activity for the people and for the economy as a
the regional Land Management Sector) was whole, Director Rafael Corpus chartered the
organized on September 2, 1901 under Act 218 revision of Act 926 to increase patent distribution.
as the Insular Bureau of Public Lands (IBPL) The Second Public Land Act (Act 2874) was
with the mandate of supervising the survey and thus enacted on 1919 in order to hasten the
distribution of public lands in the Philippine disposition of public agricultural lands to the
Islands. William Tipton was appointed as the first Filipinos by introducing the system of land
chief of the IBPL. Under his supervision, the classification and increasing the homestead
Bureau planned out a system for the survey of the area from sixteen (16) hectares to twenty four
archipelago and in 1903 implemented Act 926 or (24) hectares.
the first Public Land Act of the country which
became the basis of public land disposition Under the leadership of Director Jose B. Vargas,
thereafter. the Survey School of the Bureau was transferred to
the University of the Philippines (UP), College of
Disposition under this law was done by way of Engineering in 1925. It was also during this time
homestead, free patent, sale and lease of public that the Bureau of Lands was divided into nine
lands suitable for agriculture. The name Insular (9) inspection district and thirty two (32) district
Bureau of Public Land was later changed by virtue land offices in order to decentralize land surveying
of Act 1470 to the Bureau of Lands, the name and processing of land patent application to the
became popularly known to the masses who are provinces. However, the appointment of district land
the direct beneficiary of public agricultural lands officers were done by designation only among
for distribution. surveyors, public land inspectors, land attorneys,
and clerks.
The Bureau of Lands was likewise mandated to
administer the distribution of friar lands under Act Enactment of Commonwealth Act No. 141
1120 in 1903. It is the first land reform program
in the country as vast tract of the most productive It is only in 1939, during the incumbency of
agricultural lands were purchased by the Insular Director Jose P. Dans, the position of District Land
Government from religious orders and agricultural Offices (DLOs) was formally created under
corporations and sold to actual occupants and Executive Order No. 246, DLOs were authorized
settlers. for the first time to render decisions on important
matters. During the advent of the Commonwealth
Introduction of Cadastral Survey Government, Commonwealth Act No. 141, the
Public Land Act of 1936 was enacted which up to
In order to expedite public land distribution, then now is still the governing law on our public lands.
Director of Lands Chas H. Sleeper introduced
cadastral surveying, a public land survey that Before the start of the war, the bureau was able to
covers an extensive area, usually an entire issue a total of 93,694 patents and had conducted
municipality, subdividing the same into parcels for a total of 289 cadastral surveys by the Bureau, the
purposes of public land distribution. The first last being Cad – 289 in Manay, Davao Oriental for
cadastral survey project (Cadastral Project No. 1) judicial titling.
was conducted in Pilar, Bataan in November
1908. In 1913, Act No. 2259, otherwise known as Post war efforts to fast track land distribution
the Cadastral Act, was implemented providing for
a procedure of judicial adjudication of public lands. In 1953, the Bureau of Lands entered the era of
Under his leadership, he established the first modernization under the leadership of Director
Survey School in Manila High School (MHS) Zoilo Castrillo, with the introduction of IBM and
sometime in 1908 to train Filipino surveyors. It was Remington Rand, produced computing machines
capable of handling bulk computations. The bureau
became the most advanced government agency in
the Philippines in terms of electronic computing.
This effort was made in order to respond to the
need to speed up the distribution of public
agricultural lands in the rural area due to the
agrarian unrest in the countryside and to
reconstruct records damaged from the war. From
1950 to 1960, 1.4 million hectares of agricultural FMB HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
lands were distributed by the bureau which double
that of the 1930-1940 period. June 1863
The "Inspeccion General de Montes" was
Devolution of functions inaugurated under the Spanish Government
pursuant to a Spanish Royal Decree under the
In 1972, Republic Act No. 6516 was enacted Direccion General de Administracion Civil whose
authorizing the district land officers in every function was to determine, through data collection,
province to sign patents not exceeding five (5) the extent of the country's forest resources and
hectares thereby fully devolving the functions to the oversee their proper utilization.
district offices. Because of the devolution, more
than two (2) million hectares of agricultural land September 3, 1863
was distributed by the Bureau of Lands from 1970 The Forestry Service was allowed by the Superior
to 1980 under the leadership of then Director Civil Government to intervene in all matters
Ramon Casanova. pertaining to cutting, extracting timber, resins, etc.
and to open up virgin lands to give concessions
Reorganization of the DENR over mountain lands and transact business related
to lands and forests.
Executive Order No. 192 organized the
Department of Environment of Natural February 1874
Resources (DENR) in June 1987. The new The government authorized the free use of timber
organizational set - up integrated the Bureau of under the gratuitous license.
Lands District Land Offices to the field offices of the
DENR and transformed the Bureau’s Central Office November 30, 1894 The Royal Decree
to the Land Management Bureau under this set-up promulgated in Spain approved the definite Forest
LMB became a staff bureau. The re-organized Laws and Regulations for the Philippine Forest
Bureau spearheaded the distribution of public Service, which was drafted by "Ministro de Ultimar".
agricultural lands through the Comprehensive The regulations contained 138 articles under nine
Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) of the titles.
government distributing 1.32 million hectares to the
rural community. August 13, 1898
The Land Law of the Philippine Islands was created
For more than a century, the Bureau is in the to designate, inventory and mark the
forefront of the effort of the government to promote limits/boundary of the forests belonging to the state,
social equity by distributing public agricultural lands which shall constitute the forest zones which shall
to the rural masses. From 1901 to 2006, the then be by the Governor-General under the General
Bureau of Lands and the present Land Dictorale of Civil Administration.
Management Bureau and the Land Management
Sector of the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources is true to its mandate of serving January 18, 1899
the Filipino people by alleviating poverty and Emilio Aguinaldo made a decree combining the
promoting social equality through public land Division of Forests in Bureau of Public Works and
distribution. the Division of Mines in the Bureau of Agriculture &
Industry as General Inspeccion of Forests and
Mines.

April 14, 1900

The "Inspeccion" was renamed into Forestry The functions of the Division of Forest Fauna and
Bureau by the U.S. Military Governor in the Grazing was returned to the Bureau of Forestry and
Philippines with the issuance of General Order No. those of the Division of Zoology to the Bureau of
50. Captain George P. Ahern, of the 96th U.S. Science under the reorganization plan of the Fish
Infantry, was named as its first Director. and Game Administration under the Department of
Agriculture and Commerce and was renamed as
September 6, 1901 Division of Fisheries.
The Forestry Bureau was changed to Bureau of
Forestry and was placed under the newly created January 30, 1942
Department of Interior by virtue of Act No. 222. The office became Bureau of Forestry and Fishery
1910s under the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce by
The establishment of the Forester’s Training School virtue of Administrative Order No. 1 as approved by
in Los Baños gave opportunity for Filipinos to be the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Forces in
trained and educated with Forestry Science. The the Philippines.
first generation of graduates assumes the position
of the Bureau of Forestry. February 1945
After the Second World War, the Bureau of Forestry
Oriente Building, Manila, Headquarters of the was reopened with Forester Carlos Sulit as Officer-
Philippine Constabulary, Bureau of Lands and in-Charge to continue the management of the
Bureau of Forestry country’s resources.

November 18, 1916 April 24, 1945

The Department of Interior was abolished and The Bureau of Forestry was reconstituted with five
transferred all its functions and authority to the (5) divisions and 44 district offices. The
Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources responsibilities of the Bureau soon expanded
(DANR). Under Act, the DANR took "direct requiring the creation of additional functional
executive control, direction and supervision of the divisions and units in the central office and in the
Bureau of Agriculture, Bureau of Forestry, Bureau field.
of Lands, Bureau of Science and the Weather
Bureau and all matters concerning hunting, 1957
fisheries, sponges and other sea products and such The Bureau of Forestry was separated from the
others as may be hereafter assigned to it by Act College of Forestry as provided by the
2666. Reorganization Plan 30-A. Before, the Director of
the Bureau serves as ex-officio dean of the
January 1, 1933 college/school of forestry of the University of the
The Division of Forest Fauna and Grazing of the Philippines. The Forest Products Institute was
Bureau of Forestry, the Division of Zoology and the created from the merger of the Forest Products
Division of Fisheries of the Bureau of Science were Laboratory and the Forest Products Section of the
fused into one special Division known as the Fish Bureau of Forestry by virtue of Reorganization Plan
and Game Administration, which was placed under No. 77.
the direct administrative jurisdiction of the
Department of Agriculture and Commerce by virtue June 18, 1960
of General Memorandum Order No. 4 dated The Reforestation Administration was created to
December 5, 1932. reforest and afforest bare and denuded forest lands
especially critical watersheds by virtue of Republic
January 1, 1937 Act No. 2706.
Signaled the filipinization of the country’s forest
service by appointing Forester Florencio R. November 01, 1972
Tamesis as Director of Bureau of Forestry. The Bureau of Forest Development (BFD) was
created by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 1
June 8, 1939 wherein the Bureau of Forestry, the Parks and
Jurisdiction by the Bureau of Forestry over pasture Wildlife Office and the Reforestation Administration
areas and grazing lands was provided under were merged.
Commonwealth Act No. 452.
December 18, 1974
July 1, 1941
TheForest Research Institute (FORI), was created The Revised Master Plan for Forestry Development
with the Forest Research Division of the Bureau of was drafted as a result of the review and revision of
Forest Development as a nucleus, by virtue of PD the 1990 Master Plan for Forestry Development.
No. 607. It is now known as Ecosystems Research May 11, 2005
and Development Bureau (ERDB) under EO 192. The Forest Management Bureau was reconstituted
into four (4) Divisions by virtue of Executive Order
May 19, 1975 366.
The Bureau of Forest Development (BFD) was January 2015
formally organized as a result of a merger of the The Philippine Master Plan for Climate Resilient
Bureau of Forestry, Parks and Wildlife Office, Forestry Development was prepared taking into
Reforestation Administration and the Southern consideration the potential impacts of climate
Cebu Reforestation Project as provided in the change to the forestry sector.
Presidential Decree No. 705 revising PD 389
(otherwise known as the "Forestry Reform Code of
the Philippines").

July 10, 1985

The Wood Industry Development Authority (WIDA)
was created to regulate, control, supervise and
develop the wood industry of the Philippines in all
aspects. WIDA absorbed the functions of the
Presidential Committee on Wood Industry
Development and all the functions and powers of
the BFD pertaining to forest utilization as provided
by Executive Order No. 1039.

June 10, 1987

The Forest Management Bureau (FMB) was
created in virtue of Executive Order No. 192 known
as the Reorganization Act of the DENR. FMB
integrated and absorbed the powers and functions
of the Bureau of Forest Development (BFD) and
the Wood Industry Development Authority (WIDA)
except those line functions and powers which were
transferred to the Regional Field Offices. The Parks
and Wildlife Division and the Marine Parks Program
of the Bureau of Forest Development was absorbed
by the newly created Protected Areas and Wildlife
Bureau. Likewise, the Land Classification Teams of
the Bureau of Forest Development was integrated
to the National Mapping and Resource Information
Authority an attached agency of the DENR.
June 30, 1990
The Master Plan for Forestry Development was
prepared to guide the long-term development of the
forestry sector in the Philippines. October 29, 1991.

July 19, 1995

Community-based Forest Management was
adopted as the National Strategy to ensure the
sustainable development of the country's forestland
resources and providing mechanisms for its
implementation due to the enactment of Executive
Order No. 263.

October 2003