NATIONAL CAVES AND CAVE RESOURCES

MANAGEMENT
AND PROTECTION ACT

ROBERT V. RIVERA
Chief, Protected Area and Management and Conservation Section
Department of Environment and Natural Resources
PNP, Police Regional Office 2
Camp Marcelo A. Adduru, Tuguegarao, Cagayan
December 8, 2015

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 OUTLINE
1. Legal Basis
2. What are Caves and Cave Resources
3. What are the Values of Caves
4. Threats
5. Prohibited Acts
6 Penalties
7 How can one contribute in protecting
cave
8. CPEO
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 LEGAL BASIS
Republic Act 9072, dated April 08,
2001, is the Philippine law for the
protection of caves. Otherwise
known as the National Caves and
Cave Resources Management and
Protection Act.

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 Definition of Terms
CAVES - any naturally occurring void, cavity, recess
or system of interconnected passages beneath the
surface of the earth.

CAVES RESOURCES - any material or substance

occurring naturally in caves.

SPELEOGEM - relief features on the walls, ceilings

and floor of any cave or lava tube.

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 VALUES OF CAVES
Cultural and Historical

Ecological

Economic (ecotourism, resource extraction)

Scientific (geological)

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 What are the values of caves?

Historical
Historical caves are places of pride for
Filipinos having served as a refuge when
they fought for the Philippine independence
against the Spanish government

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 What are the values of caves?

Historical
Associated with turning points in
Philippine history founding sites of
historically important organizations
or associated with illustrious Filipinos
in history (examples: Mt Bulusan Cave in Sorsogon ,
where local Katipuneros established their society; Sohoton
Cave in Basey, Samar, used as hide-out of local insurrects
during the Fil-American War)
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 What are the values of caves?

Ecotourism

Potential benefits of ecotourism

 diversification of opportunities
 economic incentives
 tool to educate the general public
 develops “pride to the place”
8  preservation of natural and cultural heritage 10/05/2021
 To date, a total of 167 caves were identified, however, only seven (7) were classified and one is Callao Cave in
Peñablanca, Cagayan.

9 CALLAO CAVE, PENABLANCA, CAGAYAN 10/05/2021

 PICNIC FACILITIES IN CALLAO

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 What are the values of caves?
Geological

 Caves take millions of years to form

 about ½ inch formation takes an average of 100
years
 Columns form after thousands if not millions of
years of stalactite and stalagmite formation

Caves take millions of years to form: about ½ inch formation takes an average of
100 years; Columns form after thousands ,if not millions of years of stalactite and
stalagmite formation
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 What are the values of caves?

Biological

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 Pollution (water, solid waste)



quarrying/ mining
poaching (bats & edible bird’s nests)
T
 treasure hunting h
 incompatible ecotourism/
tourism activities r
 illegal logging
 unregulated extraction e
of guano
 illegal water extraction
a

13

vandalism
etc, etc, etc
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 How can one contribute in protecting our country’s caves
and cave resources? Take on doing the following actions:

• Coordinate your caving activities with the designated government agency.

• Undertake the necessary caving skills training and preparation, and bring
the necessary equipment , appropriate to the cave you will enter.
• Report any discovery of new caves to the nearest DENR office.
• Report any observed illegal activities to DENR and other designated
government agencies.
• Volunteer as Cave Protection Enforcement
Officer. Training for this is required before deputation.
• Participate in public consultative meetings regarding cave management and
protection.
• Share the things you learned here with others

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 Deputation of Cave Protection Enforcement Officers
(CPEO).
( Sec.16, DAO No. 2003-29)
The RED shall deputize Cave Protection Enforcement Officers from locally based
non-government organizations, community organizations, indigenous people and other
volunteers who have undergone necessary training for the purpose. The Philippine
National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Nation Bureau of
Investigation and other law enforcement agencies may be designated as cave
protection enforcement officers.

The existing procedure for deputation shall be followed. The CPEOs shall be
deputized for a period of one year and renewable thereafter depending on their
performance.

The deputized cave protection enforcement officers shall have the full authority to
seize and arrest violators of the Act subject to existing laws, rules and regulations on
arrest and detention.
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 Prohibited Acts. The following shall be
considered prohibited acts: (Sec. 18,
DAO No. 2003-29)
1. Knowingly destroying, disturbing, defacing, marring, altering
removing or harming the speleogen or speleothem of any
cave or altering the free movement of any animal or plant life
in or out of any cave;
2. Gathering, collecting, possessing, consuming, selling,
bartering or exchanging or offering for sale without authority
of any cave resource; and
3. Counseling, procuring, soliciting or employing any other
person to violate any provision of this Section.

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 Penalties. Any person found guilty of any of the offenses enumerated under
Section18 shall be punished by imprisonment from two (2) years to six (6) years
or a fine ranging from Twenty Thousand Pesos (P 20,000) to Five Hundred
Thousand Pesos (P 500,000) or both at the discretion of the Court.
Provided, that the person furnishing the capital to accomplish the acts punishable
shall be punished by imprisonment from six (6) years and one (1) day to eight (8)
years or by a fine ranging from Five Hundred Thousand Pesos (P 500,000) to One
Million Pesos (P 1,000,000) or both at the discretion of the Court.
Provided further, that if the area requires rehabilitation and/or restoration as
determined by the Court, the offender shall also be required to restore the same,
whenever practical, or compensate for the damage.
Provided finally, that if the offender is a government employee, he or she shall
likewise be removed from the Office. ( Sec. 19,DAO No. 2003-29)

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 Administrative Confiscations and Conveyance.
The Secretary or the concerned Regional Executive Director shall order the
seizure and confiscation, in favor of the government ,the gathered, collected,
removed, possessed or sold cave resources including the conveyances and
equipment used in violation of Section 7 of RA 9072 as reproduced in
Section 18 of this Order.
The procedure on the seizure, confiscation and forfeiture of cave resources
and all implements used in. violation of RA 9072 shall be governed by
relevant existing rules and regulations, such as but not limited to Section 4
Article 5 of Department Administrative Order No. 32-97 Administrative
Adjudication of Illegal Forest Products and the Machinery, Equipment, Tools
and Conveyances Used in Connection Therewith) and Department
Administrative Adjudication Order No. 3691 (Guidelines Governing the
Confiscation. Seizure and Disposition of Wild Flora and Fauna Illegally
Collected, Gathered, Acquired, Transported and Imported including
Paraphernalia), whenever applicable.

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 END
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