News Details

PBBM Declares Protected Areas in Guimaras, Quezon, and Albay

NPO

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July 17, 2025

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has signed into law three measures officially declaring select sites in the provinces of Guimaras, Quezon, and Albay as protected areas under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS).

On July 9, 2025, President Marcos signed Republic Acts (RAs) 12225, 12226, and 12227, which designate parcels of land in Nueva Valencia, Guimaras; San Andres, Quezon; and the municipalities of Polangui and Oas, as well as the cities of Ligao and Tabaco in Albay, as protected areas.
Under RA 12225, the protected site in Nueva Valencia, Guimaras will be designated as a national park, officially named the Taklong and Tandog Group of Islands Natural Park.

RA 12226 declares the Alibijaban Wilderness Area in San Andres, Quezon as a protected area categorized as a Protected Landscape and Seascape, to be known as the Alibijaban Protected Landscape and Seascape (APLS).

Meanwhile, RA 12227 establishes the protected area in Polangui and Oas municipalities, and Ligao and Tabaco cities in Albay as the Mt. Masaraga Protected Landscape.

According to the new laws, the State is mandated to ensure the conservation, protection, management, and rehabilitation of these areas, recognizing that effective administration requires the collaboration of national government agencies, local government units (LGUs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), private entities, and local communities.

The laws emphasize that the use and enjoyment of these areas must align with the principles of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
To oversee the management of these protected areas, Protected Area Management Boards (PAMBs) will be created. These boards will be composed of representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), local legislators, concerned government agencies, LGUs, indigenous people’s organizations, and NGOs.

A trust fund will also be established to finance conservation and management initiatives within the protected areas. Seventy-five percent of all revenues generated will be retained by the PAMB and deposited in the Protected Area-Retained Income Account with an authorized government depository bank within the locality.

The fund may be further supplemented by grants, donations, and endowments from both domestic and international sources. It will be maintained as a special account in the National Treasury and shall be disbursed solely for the protection, maintenance, administration, and management of the NIPAS and PAMB-endorsed projects, subject to government accounting, budgeting, and auditing rules. The law strictly prohibits the use of the fund for personal services expenditures.

Furthermore, LGUs are directed to continue collecting taxes and fees they have traditionally imposed, such as business permits, property taxes, and facility rentals.

The laws will take effect 15 days after publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation.

NPO NEWS TEAM!

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