Section 10Sec./Art. 10

Administration and Management of the System. The National Integrated Protected Areas System is hereby placed under the control and administration of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. For this purpose, there is hereby created a division in the regional offices of the Department to be called the Protected Areas and Wildlife Division in regions where protected areas have been established, which shall be under the supervision of a Regional Technical Director, and shall include subordinate officers, clerks, and employees as may be proposed by the Secretary, duly approved by the Department of Budget and Management, and appropriated by the Congress. The Service thus established shall manage protected areas and promote the permanent preservation, to the greatest extent possible of their natural conditions.

To carry out the mandate of this Act, the Secretary of the DENR is empowered to perform any and all of the following acts:

a. To conduct studies on various characteristic features and conditions of the different protected areas, using commonalities in their characteristics, classify and define them into categories and prescribe permissible or prohibited human activities in each category in the System;

b. To adopt and enforce a land use scheme and zoning plan in adjoining areas for the preservation and control of activities that may threaten the ecological balance in the protected areas;

c. To cause the preparation of and exercise the power to review all plans and proposals for the management of protected areas;

d. To promulgate rules and regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act;

e. To deputize field officers and delegate any of his powers under this Act and other laws to expedite its implementation and enforcement;

f. To fix and prescribe reasonable NIPAS fees to be collected from government agencies or any person, firm or corporation deriving benefits from the protected areas;

g. To exact administrative fees and fines as authorized in Section 21 for violation of guidelines, rules and regulations of this Act as would endanger the viability of protected areas;

h. To enter into contracts and/or agreements with private entities or public agencies as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act;

i. To accept in the name of the Philippine Government and in behalf of NIPAS funds, gifts or bequests of money for immediate disbursements or other property in the interest of the NIPAS, its activities or its services;

j. To call on any agency or instrumentality of the Government as well as academic institutions, non-government organizations and the private sector as may be necessary to accomplish the objectives and activities of the System;

k. To submit an annual report to the President of the Philippines and to Congress on the status of protected areas in the country;

l. To establish a uniform marker of the System, including an appropriate and distinctive symbol for each category in the System, in consultation with appropriate government agencies and public and private organizations;

m. To determine the specification of the class, type and style of buildings and other structures to be constructed in protected areas and the materials to be used;

n. Control the construction, operation and maintenance of roads, trails, waterworks, sewerage, fire protection, and sanitation systems and other public utilities within the protected area;

o. Control occupancy of suitable portions of the protected area and resettle outside of said area forest occupants therein, with the exception of the members of indigenous communities area; and

p. To perform such other functions as may be directed by the President of the Philippines, and to do such acts as may be necessary or incidental to the accomplishment of the purpose and objectives of the System.