Question & AnswerQ&A (EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 277)
The main purpose of Executive Order No. 277 is to amend Section 68 of Presidential Decree No. 705 (Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines) to penalize possession of timber or other forest products without the required legal documents, authorize the confiscation of illegally cut, gathered, removed and possessed forest products, and grant rewards to informers of violations of forestry laws, rules and regulations.
Any person who cuts, gathers, collects, removes timber or other forest products from any forest land or alienable/disposable public land, or possesses timber or other forest products without the required authority or legal documents is subject to penalties.
The officers of the partnership, association, or corporation who ordered the cutting, gathering, collection, or possession of timber or forest products are liable. If such officers are aliens, they shall be deported without further proceedings by the Commission on Immigration and Deportation.
Violators shall be punished with the penalties imposed under Articles 309 and 310 of the Revised Penal Code.
The court shall order the confiscation in favor of the government of the timber or forest products cut, gathered, collected, removed, or possessed illegally, including the machinery, equipment, implements, and tools used in the area where the illegal timber or forest products are found.
The Department Head or his duly authorized representative has the administrative authority to order the confiscation in all cases of violations of the Revised Forestry Code or other forest laws, rules, and regulations.
All conveyances used by land, water, or air in the commission of the offense can be confiscated and disposed of according to pertinent laws, regulations, or policies.
Informants are given a reward amounting to twenty percent (20%) of the proceeds from the confiscated forest products.
It took effect fifteen days after its publication either in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines.
All inconsistent laws, orders, issuances, rules, and regulations or parts thereof are repealed or modified accordingly.
Yes, it applies to timber or forest products taken from any forest land, alienable or disposable public land, or private land without the required legal authority or documents.