Memorandum Order No. 398




MALACAÑAN PALACE MANILA BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES [ MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 398, November 15, 1973 ] PRESCRIBING MEASURES TO PRESERVE THE LAKE LANAO WATERSHED, TO ENFORCE THE RESERVATION OF AREAS AROUND THE LAKE BELOW SEVEN HUNDRED AND TWO METERS ELEVATION, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. In order to maintain the power potential of Lake Lanao and the Agus River in line with the government’s total electrification program for Mindanao, the following measures are hereby ordered: 1. The Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources shall adopt selective logging in the watershed of Lake Lanao, submit to the National Power Corporation a map of the watershed showing the areas embraced by timber licenses, and recommend the licensees who should be permitted to operate and those whose permits should be cancelled. 2. The Provincial Governor of Lanao del Sur, in close coordination with the Mayors of all municipalities within said watershed, shall take immediate steps to prevent denudation of the watershed by stopping or regulating Kaingin practices, preserving existing forest cover, and evolving a program of forest protection and reforestation in which all inhabitants thereof shall participate. Said officials shall also enforce the ban on cultivation of areas around the lake below 702 meters elevation in coordination with the Provincial Commander, Philippine Constabulary. 3. The Department of Public Information and the Mindanao State University shall conduct a campaign to instill forest consciousness among the inhabitants of the watershed and educate them on conservation praction as well as arrange to disseminate the contents hereof through posters, handouts, radio, lectures, seminars and other media. 4. The National Power Corporation shall render financial assistance to forest protection, tree farming, reforestation and other conservation measures in coordination with private timber concessionaires and the Bureau of Forest Development. With the assistance and cooperation of provincial and municipal officials, as well as the Provincial Commander of the Philippine Constabulary, NPC shall place in every town around the lake, at the normal maximum lake elevation of seven hundred and two meters, benchmarks warning that cultivation of land below said elevation is prohibited.1aшphi1 5. The Provincial Commander, Philippine Constabulary, shall cooperate with local officials in the proper protection of the existing forest from squatters, kaingineros, fire, or unlawful acts, and shall take necessary action to apprehend violators of forestry rules and regulations. The Bureau of Forest Development and the Bureau of Forestry shall enforce rules and regulations on selective logging and render technical and financial assistance to the provincial and local officials of Lanao del Sur in forest protection, tree farming, reforestation and other conservation measures. By authority of the President: (Sgd.) ALEJANDRO MELCHOR Executive Secretary Manila, 15 November 1973 The Lawphil Project - Arellano Law Foundation