Unit4.
Legal Bases related
to Environmental
Protection and
Conservation in the
Philippines
Prepared by: Juben Fortaleza & Emma Lentija
Objectives
At the end of the discussion, the students should be able
to:
• identify core environmental laws;
• introduce the basic concepts and principles of
environmental laws; and
• understand development of environmental law
In an increasingly globalized
and industrialized world, people
and countries need to rely more
on the environment and the
world’s rich natural resources: be
it wood from the forests,
minerals from the ground, and oil
or other fossil fuels from deep
within the earth.
These threats of
environmental destruction and
degradation have not been left
unnoticed. Government agencies,
non-government and civil society
organizations (NGOs and CSOs),
and ordinary citizens alike have
recognized the need to act and to
stop the decay of the world’s
ecosystems.
CORE
ENVIRONMENTAL
LAWS
Core Environmental Laws
• Republic Act 9003 Ecological Solid Waste
Management Act Of 2000
• Republic Act 9275 Philippine Clean Water Act Of
2004
• Republic Act 9275 Philippine Clean Water Act Of
2004
• Republic Act 6969 Toxic Substances, Hazardous
And Nuclear Waste Control Act Of 1990
• Presidential Decree 1586 Environmental Impact
Statement (Eis) Statement Of 1978
Republic Act 9003 Ecological Solid
Waste Management Act Of 2000
Republic Act 8749 Philippine Clean
Air Act Of 1999
Republic Act 6969 Toxic Substances,
Hazardous And Nuclear Waste Control Act
Of 1990
Presidential Decree 1586 Environmental
Impact Statement (Eis) Statement Of 1978
GREEN LAWS
Green Laws
Green laws are those that deal with the
protection, conservation, utilization and
development of forests, other land-based
natural resources, and wildlife. Green is the
color used since lands and forests are
generally supposed to be green. Land-based
wildlife also consider the forests as their
habitat, thus, they are included under the
green laws.
Green Laws
• The Revised Forestry Code and
the Chain Saw Act
• The Wildlife Conservation Act
• The National Integrated Protected
Areas System (NIPAS) Act
• The Philippine Mining Act of
1995 and the People’s Small-
Scale Mining Act
The Revised Forestry Code and the
Chain Saw Act
• Revised Forestry Code is the primary
law which governs the management,
utilization, use, development, and
protection of forest lands
• Chain Saw Act of 2002 serves to curb
illegal logging by regulating the use
and possession of a chain saw while
punishing its illegal use
The Wildlife Conservation Act
• The law covers all wildlife species
found in all areas of the country,
including protected areas and critical
habitats
• It shall also apply to exotic species
which are subject to trade, are cultured,
maintained, and/or bred in captivity or
propagated in the country
The National Integrated Protected
Areas System (NIPAS) Act
• NIPAS serves as the basis for the classification and administration of all
designated protected areas to maintain essential ecological processes and
life support systems, to preserve genetic diversity, to ensure sustainable
use of resources found therein, and to maintain their natural conditions
to the greatest extent possible
The Philippine Mining Act of 1995 and
the People’s Small-Scale Mining Act
• These two laws operationalize the
principle enunciated in Section 2,
Article XII of the Constitution on
the ownership of the State of all
natural resources found within the
Philippines and its correlated right
to their use, development and
utilization
BLUE LAWS
Blue Laws
Referring to the color of the seas,
oceans, and other bodies of water, blue
laws refer to laws which deal with the
protection, conservation and utilization of
waters, marine life, and aquatic resources.
Blue laws encompass both inland waters
such as rivers, lakes, and streams, and the
seas and oceans, whether part of the
country’s territory or not.
Blue Laws
• The Philippine Fisheries
Code of 1998
• The Laguna Lake
Development Authority
(LLDA) Act
The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998
The Laguna Lake Development
Authority (LLDA) Act
• LLDA was established as a quasi-
government agency that leads, promotes,
and accelerates sustainable development
in the Laguna de Bay Region due to its
significance as the largest fresh water lake
in the country and its impact on its nearby
areas and provinces
BROWN LAWS
Brown Laws
Brown laws refer to laws and rules
which deal with pollution control and
the regulation of activities which could
affect the environment. These laws and
rules include those which control
hazardous and toxic wastes and
chemicals, solid waste management, and
rules on the conduct of environmental
impact assessments.
Brown Laws
• The Toxic Substances and Hazardous and
Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990
• The Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999
• The Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004
• The Ecological Solid Waste Management
Act of 2000
• The Philippine Environmental Impact
Statement System
The Toxic Substances and Hazardous
and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990
The Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999
• The law that primarily governs and
regulates air quality in the
Philippines which states that
Government should focus on
pollution prevention rather than on
control, and provide for a
comprehensive management
program for air pollution
The Philippine Clean Water Act of
2004
The Ecological Solid Waste
Management Act of 2000
• One of its declared policies is to 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
The Philippine Environmental
Impact Statement System
References
• http://ecac.emb.gov.ph/?page_id=43
• https://now.minda.gov.ph/knowledge-materials/environmental-resea
rch-database/
• https://www.ombudsman.gov.ph/UNDP4/wp-content/uploads/2013/
02/s-HanBook-CC1.pdf
