OUTLINE IN

NATURAL RESOURCES & ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS

I. PRELIMINARIES

A. Discussion of class policies

B. Distribution of subject outline

II. INTRODUCTION TO NATURAL RESOURCES

A. Constitutional mandate (1987 Philippine Constitution)

B. Current Issues

1. Environment Degradation

2. Environmental Justice

3. Climate Change

C. International Laws and Covenants

III. SUBSTANTIVE ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS

A. Revised Forestry Code (PD 705)

1. Scope

2. State Policy

3. Implementing agency

a. DENR

i. Administrative supervision

ii. Visitorial power

iii. Classification and surveys of land of public domain

iv. Appellate jurisdiction

b. Forest Management Bureau

i. Jurisdiction

ii. Free entry of officers

4. Forest

a. Concept of

b. Forest or timber land

c. Timber license, lease, or permit

5. Criminal offenses

a. Cutting, gathering and/or collecting timber or other products

without license

b. Possession of timber or other forest products without the

legal documents

c. Unlawful occupation or destruction of forest lands

d. Pasturing livestocks

e. Illegal occupation of national parks and recreation areas and

vandalism therein

f. Survey by unauthorized persons

g. Misclassification and survey by government official or

employee

6. Arrests

7. Applicable Cases:

a. Heirs of Amunategui vs. Director of Forestry (G.R. L-127873,

November 29, 1983)

b. Republic vs. CA (G.R. No. L-40402, March 16, 1987)

c. Republic vs. CA (G.R. No. L-56984, September 30, 1987)

d. Lagua vs. Cusi (G.R. No. L-44649, April 15, 1988)

e. Ismael vs. Deputy Executive Secretary (G.R. No. 79538,

October 18, 1990)

f. International Hardwood and Veneer Co. vs. UP (G.R. No.

521518, August 13, 1991)

g. Sunville Timber Products, Inc. Abad (G.R. No. 85502,

February 24, 1992)

h. People vs. Bagista (G.R. No. 86218, September 18, 1992)

i. Mustang Lumber, Inc. vs. CA (G.R. No. 104988, June 18,

1996)

j. People vs. Que (G.R. No. 120365, December 17, 1996)

k. Mamanteo vs. Deputy Sheriff Magumun (AM No. P-98-1264,

July 28, 1999)

l. Republic vs. Naguiat (G.R. No. 134209, January 24, 2006)

m. Semirara Coal Corp. vs. HGL Development Corp. (G.R. No.

166854, December 6, 2006)

n. Ruzol vs. Sandiganbayan (G.R. No. 186739, April 17, 2013)

o. Aquino vs. Municipality of Malay, Aklan (G.R. No. 211356,

September 29, 2014)
B. Philippine Mining Act of 1995 (RA 7942)

1. Ownership of mineral resources

2. Activities that may be undertaken by the State

3. Implementing agencies

a. DENR

b. Mines and Geosciences Bureau

4. Mineral reservations

5. Classifications of lands for mining purposes

6. Areas closed to mining operations

7. Exploration permit

a. Mining project feasibility

b. Term

c. Transfer of permit

d. Area for exploration permit

e. Rights and obligations of permittee

f. Terms and conditions

g. Registration of permit

8. Mineral agreements

a. Forms

b. Eligibility

c. Area for agreement

9. Financial or Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA)

a. Nature

b. Eligibility

c. Minerals subject of FTAA

10. Quarry Permit

a. Scope

b. Size of area covered by permit

11. Transport, Sale and Processing of Minerals

12. Safety and Environmental Protection

13. Surface rights

 14. Settlement of conflicts

a. Panel of Arbitrators

b. Mines Adjudcation Board

15. Cancellation, Revocation and Termination of permits and

incentives

16. Criminal offenses

17. Applicable Cases:

a. Miners Association of the Phils. vs. Factoran (G.R. No.

98332, January 16, 1995)

b. Atok Big-Wedge Mining Co. vs. IAC (G.R. No. 63528,

September 9, 1996)

c. Cruz vs. Secretary of Environment & Natural Resources

(G.R. No. 135385, December 6, 2000)

d. Southeast Mindanao Gold Mining Corp. vs. Balite Portal

Mining Cooperative (G.R. No. 135190, April 3, 2002)

e. Carpio vs. Sulu Resources Development Corp. (G.R. No.

148267, August 8, 2002)

f. La Bugal-B’laan Tribal Association, Inc. vs. Ramos (G.R. No.

127882, December 1, 2004)

g. Didipio Earth Savers’ Multi-Purpose Association, Inc. vs.

Gozun (G.R. No. 157882, March 30, 2006)

C. People’s Small-Scale Mining Act of 1991 (RA 7076)

1. People’s small-scale mining program

2. Areas open as Minahang Bayan

3. Future areas for small-scale mining

4. Ancestral lands

5. Registration of small-scale miners

6. Award and conditions of contracts

7. Implementing agency

D. Coal Development Act of 1976 (PD 972, as amended by PD 1174)

1. Coal development program

2. Coal operating contract

3. Incentives

4. Eminet Domain

5. Timber and water rights

E. Water Code of the Philippines (PD 1067)

1. Salient Principles

2. State ownership of waters

3. Appropriation of waters

a. Purposes

b. Nationality requirement

4. Water rights and permits

5. Prohibitions and conditions for use of water

6. Easements

7. Control of Waters

a. Flood control areas

b. Conservation and protection of waters, watersheds and

other related land resources

8. National Water Resources Board (NWRB)

9. Water Districts

10. Local Water Utilities Administration

11. Applicable Cases:

a. Remman Enterprises vs. CA (G.R. No. 125018, April 6,

2000)

b. IDEALS, Inc. vs. PSALM (G.R. N0. 192088, October 9,

2012)

c. Vergara vs. Sonkin (G.R. No. 193659, June 15, 2015)

F. Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 (RA 8550, as amended by RA 10654)

1. Scope of application

2. Internal waters, Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zone, and Exclusive

Economic Zone

3. Implementing agencies

a. Department of Agriculture

b. Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)

c. Municipal Fisheries
 4. Commercial fisheries

5. Aquaculture

6. Fishery reserves, refuges, and sanctuaries

7. Prohibited acts and penalties

8. Applicable Case: Magallona vs. Ermita (G.R. No. 187167, August

16, 2011)

G. Philippine Clean Water Act (RA 9275)

1. Policy

2. Prohibited acts and penalties

3. Applicable Case: Universal Robina Corporation vs. Laguna lake

Development Authority (G.R. No. 191427, May 30, 2011)

H. Philippine Clean Air Act (RA 8749)

1. Policy

2. Air Pollution Clearances and Permits

3. Pollution from Stationary Sources

4. Pollution from Motor Vehicles

5. Pollution from other sources

6. Implementing Agency

a. DENR

b. Environmental Management Bureau

c. Pollution Adjudication Board

d. Land Transportation Office

7. Applicable Cases:

a. Technology Developers, Inc. vs. CA (G.R. No. 94759,

January 21, 1991)

b. Henares vs. LTFRB (G.R. No. 158290, October 23, 2006)

c. AC Enterprises, Inc. vs. Frabelle Properties Corp. (G.R. No.

166744, November 2, 2006)
I. Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 (RA
10121)

1. Scope of law

2. National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council

(NDRRMC)

3. Office of the Civil Defense

4. Local Risk Reduction and Management Organizations

a. Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council

(RDRRMC)

b. Local Government level

i. Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management

Council (PDRRMC)

ii. City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management

Council (CDRRMC)

iii. Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management

Council (MDRRMC)

iv. Barangay Development Councils (BDC)

5. Declaration of state of calamity

a. Who declares

b. Remedial measures

6. Prohibited Acts

7. Penalties

J. Climate Change Act of 2009 (RA 9279, as amended by RA 10174)

1. Climate Change Commission

a. Composition

b. Advisory board

c. Powers and functions

2. National and local climate action plans

3. Role of government agencies

4. Funding

5. People’s Survival Fund

IV. RULES OF PROCEDURE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CASES (RPEC)

(A.M. No. 09-6-8-SC, April 13, 2010)

A. General Provisions

1. Constitutional guarantee

2. Judicial initiative

3. Objectives

4. Salient features

5. Scope

6. Effectivity Date

B. Civil Procedure (Rules 2-6)

1. Pleadings

2. Motions

3. Complaint

a. Real party in interest

b. Citizen suit

4. Temporary Environmental Protection Order (TEPO) and

Environmental Protection Order (EPO)

5. Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) and Preliminary Injunction

6. Summons

7. Answer

8. Modes of discovery

9. Pre-trial

a. Nature and Purpose

b. Brief

c. ADR mechanisms

d. Preliminary conference

e. Consent decree

f. Pre-trial Order
 10. Continuous trial

a. Judicial Affidavit Rule

b. One day examination rule

c. Memoranda

d. Trial period

11. Judgment

a. Reliefs in citizen suit

b. Immediately executory

c. Permanent EPO/Writ of continuon mandamus

12. Execution

13. Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP)

a. Nature

b. Rights affected

c. Summary hearing

d. Priority resolution

14. Applicable Cases:

a. Hernandez vs. NAPOCOR (G.R. No. 145328, March 23,

2006)

b. WT Construction, INC. vs. DPWH (G.R. No. 163352, July 31,

2007)

c. Lago vs. Abul (AM No.. RTJ-10-2255, January 17, 2011)

d. Resident Marine Mammals vs. Reyes (G.R. No. 180771,

April 21, 2015)

e. International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech

Applications, Inc. vs. Greenpeace Southeast Asia Phils (G.R.
No. 209271, December 8, 2015)

C. Special Civil Actions

1. WRIT OF KALIKASAN (Rule 7)

a. Nature

b. Requisites

c. Who may file

d. Where to file
 e. Issuance of writ

f. Service of writ

g. Filing of return and failure to file

h. Prohibited pleadings and motions

i. Discovery measures

j. Contempt

k. Electronic memoranda

l. Judgment

1. Period

2. Reliefs

m. Appeal

n. Institution of separate actions

o. Distinguished from Certiorari under Rule 65

p. Applicable Cases:

1. West Tower Condominium vs, FPIC (G.R. No.

194239, May 31, 2011)

2. Arigo vs. Swift (G.R. No. 206150, September 16,

2014)

3. Paje vs. Casiño (G.R. No. 207257, February 3, 2015)

2. WRIT OF CONTINUING MANDAMUS (Rule 8)

a. Nature

b. Where to file

c. Comment

d. Memoranda

e. Judgment

f. Return
 3. Writ of Kalikasan vs. Writ of Continuing Mandamus

a. As to subject matter

b. As to Who may file

c. As to the Respondent

d. As to payment of rocket fees

e. As to Venue

f. As to discovery measures

g. As to payment of damages

D. Criminal Procedure (Rule 9-19)

1. Prosecution of Offenses

a. Who may file

b. Where to File

c. Filing of Information

d. Special prosecutor, when allowed

2. Civil action deemed instituted

3. Arrest (with or without a Warrant)

4. Custody and disposition of seized items

5. Provisional remedies

6. Bail

7. Arraignment

a. Plea

b. Plea bargaining

8. Pre-Trial

a. Pre-trial conference

b. Preliminary conference

c. Pre-Trial Order

9. Continuous Trial

a. Judicial Affidavit

b. Memoranda
 10. Judgment

11. Subsidiary liability

12. Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP)

a. Summary Hearing

b. Distinguished from SLAPP in Civil Case

E. Evidence (Rule 20-21)

1. Precautionary Principle

a. Nature

b. Factors

2. Documentary Evidence

a. Photos, Video

b. Entries in Official Records

Special Instructions: Read the applicable cases for recitation and/or quiz purposes on
the meetings the particular topics and sub-topics are discussed, On the day of the Final
Examinations, Submit the digests of the same cases hand-written on a yellow paper
and (paper or hard)-bound for posterity.

Outline prepared by:

DODIE OPINION TURLA

Associate Legal Counsel, UNO-R
Teaching Faculty: UNO-R, SSC-R, & T.I.P.
Managing Lawyer: D.O.T. Law & Notarial Offices (Manila & Negros Occ.)
Corporate/In-House Counsel: Muti-Fold Links, Inc., Funeraria Rizal, Inc., CBII
Philippines International, Inc.