The World Bank/WBI’s CBNRM Initiative

Case Received: February 7, 1998

Author: by: Roberto Oliva

Tel: +632 927 0461

Fax: +632 928 4912

Email: Robert_Oliva@dai.com

According to the 1995 Philippine Forestry Statistics, the country has a land area of 30 million ha, 15.9 million ha of which or 53% is forest land and 14.1 million ha or 47% is alienable and disposable land.

The forestry sector plays an important role in the socio-economic development of the country. The country’s forest based export was at its peak in the 1960s and early 70’s. About $212 million worth of logs and lumber were exported in 1967 comprising 32% of the 10 principal exports. During the mid 70s and 80s however, the contribution of the forestry sector to national development declined dramatically. This was brought about by the rapid resource depletion forcing the country to ban logs and eventually even lumber exportation coming from the natural forests. In 1934, the country has 17 million ha of forest areas with virgin forests covering about 11 million ha. In 1995, the country’s forests areas comprise 5.590 million ha of which 0.805 million ha were old growth or virgin forests.

The rapid resource depletion was a result of deforestation which has been going on at rates acknowledged to be among the highest in the world. It is estimated that the average annual deforestation rate has been as high as 300,000 ha per year in the late 1960s and was still going on at rates higher than 150,000 ha per year in the early 1980’s although the rates have been estimated to be less than 100,000 ha per year at present.

Deforestation can be attributed to various factors - ineffective forest laws, policies and programs; ineffective enforcement of forestry laws; low priority given to forest conservation and environmental protection; and lack of support to forestry programs by the local government units and the various sectors in the community.

The Philippine people power revolution which toppled the Marcos dictatorship in 1986 brought about policy changes in forest management in the Philippines. Among these are:

     1.   Adoption of the new system in the grant of rights in the exploration, development and utilization of the country’s natural resources (1987)

All natural resources including forest lands are, under the Philippine Constitution owned by the State.

Under the 1935 and 1973 Philippine Constitutions, the mode of allowing the exploration of natural resources is either through a "license, concession or lease". This policy have been blamed for the sorry state of the Philippine forestry. Accordingly, the timber license holders have vastly enriched themselves, but the communities surrounding the concessionaires have remained very poor.

These modes are no longer allowed, as under the 1987 Constitution, "the exploration, development and utilization of natural resources shall be under the full control and supervision of the State. The State may directly undertake such activities, or it may enter into co-production, joint venture or production sharing agreements with Filipino citizens, or corporations or associations at least sixty percent of whose capital is owned by such citizens."

     2.   Passage of Republic Act 7160 (Local Government Code of 1991)

Under Executive Order No. 192 (1987), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is the primary government agency responsible for the conservation, management, development and proper use of the country’s environment and natural resources. While other sectors of society are encouraged to be involved in natural resources management, there were no official policies making the other sectors responsible. This has led to the lack of support by local government units, non-governmental organizations, the media, the military and other sectors to forest development activities.

RA 7160 now mandates local government units to share with the national government the responsibility in the management and maintenance of ecological balance within their territorial jurisdictions. Said law also devolved to local governments certain forest management projects and functions.

     3.   Issuance of Executive Order No. 263 (Community Based Forest Management Proclamation, 1995)

EO 263 adopted CBFM as the national strategy to ensure the sustainable development of the country’s forest lands resources. CBFM is anchored on the participation of organized local communities in identified forest areas. The government provides qualified local communities security of tenure and gives them access to and responsibility in the utilization, management, protection and rehabilitation of the forest resources.

EO 263 mandates the DENR to work with local governments, people’s organizations, non-government organizations, religious groups, business and industry, and other concerned organizations to ensure that communities are empowered to initiate and achieve the objectives of CBFM.

To arrest further forest destruction, the Philippine Government with the assistance of the World Bank implemented starting in 1992 the Environment and Natural Resources Sectoral Adjustment Loan Program. (ENR-SECAL). ENR-SECAL has three components: the Regional Resource Management Program (RRMP), Integrated Protected Area System (IPAS), and the Monitoring and Enforcement Component (MEC).

The creation of Multisectoral Forest Protection Committees (MFPCs) under the MEC component aims to bring forest protection to the grassroots by involving the various sectors of the community. It is based on the thesis that for forest management to be effective, it must be anchored on total community involvement. As stated in its program design, MFPCs will provide the forum where sectors from the COMMUNITY and GOVERNMENT agencies combine to take action together on forest protection issues. Through the MFPC’s, communities are directly involved in forest protection from barangay to national level.

Herein author worked for the MFPC Program as Institutional Specialist from 1992 to 1995, as Local Government Specialist and now as Resource Rights Specialist under the CBFM Program of the USAID assisted Natural Resources Management Program.

As heretofore mentioned, one of the causes of forest destruction in the Philippines is the apathy, indifference and lack of participation of the local government units and other sectors of society in forest management. With the MFPC, members of different sectors e.g. military, church, media, youth, farmers, women’s and business groups, environmental NGOs, Department of Justice, Philippine National Police, Coast Guard, Lawyers groups, etc., together with the DENR now involve themselves in the discussions of and taking concrete actions on various issues affecting forest protection and management. The various sectors are usually represented by their respective chairpersons.

The functions and responsibilities of the MFPCs as stated in the program are:

a) Serve as a collection point for information on illegal forestry activities by tapping the independent networks to which its members belong;

b) Regularly receive and discuss reports from DENR, specific to routine and special monitoring, apprehension and prosecutorial activities;

c) Advise DENR and other relevant parties on these activities;

d) Publicize the committees discussions and findings except when treated as confidential;

e) Directly oversee the public awareness and alternative livelihood programs; and

f) Mobilize members’ networks in support of forest protection activities.

The MFPC is based on the NETWORKING APPROACH. Each MFPC member represents a group in the community. At the MFPC, the members are not there as individuals, but the representatives of their network. After MFPC meetings, the representatives return to their network, discuss issues raised and decisions made, and solicits further points and queries for future meetings. Many times, they are involved in actual forest protection work and in the evaluation of applications for forestry licenses and permits. This enables the community itself to be represented and directly involved in decision making. Because of networking, the MFPC has a powerful voice and a legalized mandate in forest protection and management.

Only 16 MFPCs were supposed to be formed under the ENR-SECAL Program. Because of its success however, the MFPC Program was institutionalized in the DENR. As of January, 1998, there are now 299 MFPCs all over the country. A Manual of Procedures for MFPC Operations and for the MFPC Technical Working Group have been prepared. There are at present four (4) levels of MFPC - National, Regional, Provincial and Municipal.

Through the MFPCs, the DENR did no have much difficulty anymore in soliciting LGUs support to the CBFM Program. Usually, it is the Local Chief Executive Office (Governor, Mayor) who heads the MFPC in the local level. With the implementation of the CBFM, the various issues and concerns regarding CBFM are discussed in the CBFM. Some MFPCs have renamed their livelihood sub-committee as CBFM sub-committee. That way, CBFM concerns are also addressed multisectorally.

Now, many local government units appropriate funds and other resources to forest and environmental conservation.

Among the lessons learned in the MFPC Program are: that local government units, people’s organizations and other sectors of the community will be actively involved in forest management if they are given responsibility and stake in the sustainable development of the forest resources; that policy making, information and education campaigns, forest protection and community based forestry will be enhanced if there is an institutional mechanism where the various sectors of society will meet and address these problems. Bringing down the MFPCs to the smallest political unit - the barangay is a strong possibility.

This is people power in forest management!