Question & AnswerQ&A (Republic Act No. 9125)
The short title of Republic Act No. 9125 is the "Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park (NSMNP) Act of 2001."
The primary policy objective is to secure the protection, preservation, and rehabilitation of the Northern Sierra Madre Mountain Range within the Province of Isabela, including its biodiversity, ecosystems, communities, and cultures, in a sustainable and participatory manner consistent with the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act and Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA).
Biodiversity is defined as the variety and variability among all living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur.
The PAMB is the sole policy-making and permit-granting body for the NSMNP and its buffer zones. It issues rules and regulations, land and resource-use permits, supervises the office of the Protected Area Superintendent (PASu), and ensures enforcement of laws within the park.
The PAMB is composed of the DENR Regional Executive Director as chair, provincial environment and natural resources officer, mayors of municipalities within the NSMNP, provincial planning and development officer, barangay captains, representatives from the Sangguniang Kabataan, NGOs, People's Organizations, Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs), and women’s sector representatives.
Prohibited acts include hunting or possessing protected species without approval, bioprospecting without consent, unauthorized resource extraction, introducing exotic species without approval, quarrying, infrastructure construction without permit, Kaingin (slash-and-burn), illegal fishing methods, dumping wastes, and violation of PAMB regulations, among others.
Violations are punishable by fines ranging from P5,000 to P500,000 and/or imprisonment from one to six years. For offenses involving species listed in CITES Appendix or threatened species, penalties include imprisonment of six years and one day to twelve years and fines up to P1,000,000, along with accessory penalties such as eviction, payment for damages, and forfeiture of equipment.
The Act recognizes their rights to ancestral lands and domains, honors their customary laws, and exempts them from prohibited acts when done in accordance with customary practices and without prior information of restrictions. Their traditional sustainable practices over non-protected species are allowed.
The PASu serves as the chief operating DENR officer for the NSMNP, responsible for preparing management plans, enforcing laws, managing staff, coordinating with communities, monitoring activities, and serving as secretariat to the PAMB.
The NSMNP covers approximately 287,861 hectares of land area and 71,625 hectares of coastline water area within the Province of Isabela, encompassing diverse ecosystems and forming part of the National Integrated Protected Areas System as a natural park.