Section 6Sec./Art. 6

Management Plan. Within one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act and in accordance with the General Management Planning Strategy as provided in the NIPAS Act, there shall be a Management Plan to be prepared by the Office of the Protected Area Superintendent (PASu) in coordination with the local communities, indigenous cultural communities/indigenous peoples, local government units (LGUs), appropriate offices of the DENR, non-government and people' organizations, existing operators in the park and experts with socioeconomic, anthropological and ecological experience in the area. It shall contain, among others, the following:

(a) Period of applicability of the plan, preferably at least fifteen (15) years;

(b) Key management issues;

(c) Goals and objectives of management in support of Section 2 hereof;

(d) Site management strategy;

(e) Major management activities such as, but not limited to, enforcement of laws, biodiversity conservation habitat and wildlife management, sustainable use management, infrastructure development and maintenance, and fire and pest control;

(f) Establishment and delineation of zones and the regulated and/or prohibited activities therein, such as, but not limited to, multipurpose use zones, buffer zones, recreational zones, strict protection zones and other special zones which can provide effective management of the protected area and promote sustainable development of all legitimate stakeholders. To avoid relocation, primary consideration shall be accorded to the traditional zones used which have been proven sustainable and in consonance with the biodiversity and protection of the natural characteristics of the protected area; and

(g) Visitor management programs.

The Management Plan shall be consistent with the nature of Mt. Apo as a protected area under the category of a natural park. It shall be reviewed and approved by the PAMB and certified to by the Secretary that it conforms to all laws and regulations issued by the DENR. The Management Plan shall not be revised nor modified except by prior consultation with the PAMB and in accordance with the procedure herein set forth. If any part or section of the Management Plan is inconsistent with existing laws, the Secretary shall certify to the other provisions of the plan that are consistent with the laws. Unless the Secretary accepts or adopts such inconsistent provisions, he/she shall notify the PAMB of the provisions that need modification or revision.

Two (2) years before the expiration of the initial Management Plan, there shall be a subsequent plan to be prepared and submitted by the Office of the Protected Area Superintendent in the same manner as the procedure and principles herein set forth and in accordance with the General Management Planning Strategy as provided in the NIPAS Act. In the same period, the Office of the Protected Area Superintendent shall cause the publication of notices for comments and suggestions on the proposed plan in a newspaper of local circulation and the actual posting of such notices in conspicuous places within the LGUs in the Mt. Apo Natural Park. The proposed new Management Plan shall be made available for public perusal in all agencies, offices, and organizations duly represented in the PAMB.

In the event that no subsequent plan is adopted upon the expiration of the initial management plan, the latter shall remain in force subject to interim modifications that may be adopted by the PAMB.