Question & AnswerQ&A (Republic Act No. 11687)
Republic Act No. 11687 is titled the "Tirad Pass Protected Landscape Act."
The policy is to secure for the Filipino people of present and future generations the perpetual existence of all native plants and animals through the declaration of protected areas under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) within the classification of national park.
The Tirad Pass Protected Landscape (TPPL) is classified as a National Park under the category of protected landscape as provided under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS).
It covers land located in the municipalities of Gregorio del Pilar, Quirino, Sigay, Cervantes, and Suyo in the Province of Ilocos Sur.
Buffer zones refer to identified areas outside the boundaries of and immediately adjacent to designated protected areas that need special development control in order to avoid or minimize harm to the protected area.
The PAMB is the governing body created to oversee the management of the TPPL. It is composed of representatives from the DENR Regional Executive Director, provincial governor, senators and congressmen representing Ilocos Sur, municipal mayors, barangay chairpersons, heads of specific national agencies, NGOs, indigenous peoples' representatives, academic institutions, and private sector representatives.
The PAMB oversees management, approves policies and plans, adopts rules of procedure, recommends deputation of enforcement, manages financial resources, sets fees, resolves conflicts, monitors performance, appoints the Protected Area Superintendent, and ensures harmonization with relevant plans and policies.
The Protected Area Superintendent (PASu), who heads the Protected Area Management Office (PAMO), is responsible for the day-to-day management, protection, and administration of the TPPL.
It is a trust fund established to finance projects of the TPPL and the NIPAS, consisting of income from fees, lease proceeds, contributions, and other income generated from the management and operation of the protected area.
Seventy-five percent (75%) of revenues are retained by the PAMB and deposited into a retained income account used solely for TPPL's protection and management; the remaining twenty-five percent (25%) is deposited as a special account in the National Treasury to finance NIPAS programs and projects.
Yes, buffer zones may include private lands; owners of such lands must design their development to consider the protected area management plan.
Republic Act No. 7586 (NIPAS Act), as amended by Republic Act No. 11038 (Expanded NIPAS Act), apply suppletorily to the Tirad Pass Protected Landscape Act.
Tenured migrants are protected area occupants who have continuously and presently occupied a portion of the protected area for five years before the proclamation or law establishing it as protected, and who depend solely on it for subsistence.
The PAMB includes at least one but not more than three representatives from the ICC/IP recognized by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), ensuring their participation in protected area management.
The separability clause provides that if any section or provision is held unconstitutional or invalid, the remaining provisions not affected shall continue in full force and effect.