UP College of Forestry's Program of Public Education and Information in Forestry

June 20, 1963

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 3523

AN ACT TO AUTHORIZE THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES TO CARRY OUT A PROGRAM OF PUBLIC EDUCATION AND INFORMATION IN FORESTRY AND TO PROVIDE THE NECESSARY FUNDS AND LAND RESOURCES FOR THESE AND OTHER PURPOSES

SECTION 1. The College of Forestry, University of the Philippines is hereby authorized to carry out a nationwide program of public education and information in forestry for the purpose of providing for the dissemination of research findings on forestry and to bring about general public appreciation of forest values. The development and implementation of this program should be carried out in close cooperation with established forestry and information organization of the Government, with the College of Forestry, University of the Philippines as the central coordinating agency.

SECTION 2. To effectively carry out the objectives of this Act, there is hereby established a Central Forest Experiment Station, including an Experimental and Demonstration Forest under the College of Forestry, University of the Philippines for purposes of carrying on research in the protection and multiple-use management of forest land, strengthening professional education in forestry and related fields, and demonstrating to the public the methods and results of applied forestry.

SECTION 3. There is hereby also established a Botanical Garden of not less than 200 hectares in size for the purpose of supporting professional instruction and research relating to forestry and plant sciences generally and for serving the needs of tourism as well as the educational and recreational needs of the general public.

SECTION 4. To provide the necessary land resources required for the establishment of the Central Forest Experiment Station and Botanical Garden and for other related purposes, the parcel of public domain known as Mt. Makiling, situated in the Municipalities of Bay, Los Ba√±os, and Calamba, Province of Laguna, and the Municipality of Sto. Tomas, Province of Batangas, is hereby disestablished as a national park and in accordance with the limits and boundaries set forth in Proclamations No. 552, series of 1933, 214, series of 1937, and 692, series of 1960, is hereby ceded, transferred and conveyed to the University of the Philippines.

SECTION 5. There shall be collected, in addition to the regular forest charges provided for under the National Internal Revenue Code, as amended, and those provided for under Republic Act No. 115, as amended, the amount of ten centavos on each cubic meter of timber cut and removed from any public forest and forest reserve for commercial purposes, which shall be collected in the same manner and with the same remedies as provided for in the National Internal Revenue Code, as amended, with respect to forest charges, and with the same penalties provided for in Republic Act No. 115, as amended, and which shall be turned over to the University of the Philippines at the end of every fiscal year beginning with the fiscal year 1963-1964 as a lump sum to be used exclusively for carrying out the purposes of this Act, in addition to incidental receipts or income from operations or activities authorized under this Act.

SECTION 6. All existing provisions of law, as well as subsequent amendments thereto, relative to the protection of forest reserves, particularly those defining statutory offenses and prescribing penalties therefor, shall apply to said college forest and botanical garden, and for the enforcement thereof, the University of the Philippines through its Board of Regents is hereby conferred the same powers presently vested by law in the Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources and various agencies under the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. aisa dc

SECTION 7. The Board of Regents of the University of the Philippines shall make the necessary provisions and rules and regulations to effectively carry out the objectives of this Act.

SECTION 8. All other Acts and parts of Acts, executive orders, proclamation and rules or regulations inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed.

SECTION 9. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved: June 20, 1963

            Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 59, No. 33, p. 5231 on August 19, 1963