S. No. 187 / 43 OG No. 7, 2556 (July, 1947)

[ REPUBLIC ACT NO. 122, June 14, 1947 ]

AN ACT TO AMEND CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF ACT NUMBERED THIRTY-NINE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN, ENTITLED "AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL PARKS, DECLARING SUCH PARKS AS GAME REFUGES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES."

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:SECTION 1. Act Numbered Thirty-nine hundred and fifteen is amended by inserting after section seven a new section to be known as section seven—A, which shall read as follows:

"SEC. 7—A. Officers and employees of the Bureau of Forestry who may be designated in writing by the Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce upon the recommendation of the Director of Forestry shall, in addition to the performance of their duties prescribed under the forest laws and regulations, act as peace officers for the purpose of maintaining peace and order Within national parks.  As peace officers, they shall exercise police supervision over national parks, and may arrest any person found in any place within national parks under suspicious circumstances as reasonably tending to show that such person has committed or is about to commit an offense against the provisions of this Act or any other law or pertinent regulation."Any officer or employee of the Bureau of Forestry making arrest under the provisions of this Act shall, without unnecessary delay and within the time prescribed in the Revised Penal Code, take the person arrested to the proper court or judge to be dealt with according to law."

SEC. 2. Section eight of Act Numbered Thirty-nine hundred and fifteen is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 8. Any person, association or corporation who shall violate any provision of this Act or regulations promulgated thereunder or shall without permit or license occupy any portion of the national parks, or shall in any manner destroy or damage the timber or other forest products or forest cover therein or shall mutilate, deface or destroy objects of natural beauty or of scenic value within the national parks, except as otherwise provided in this Act, shall be liable to a fine of four times the regular Government charges on the timber or other forest products so unlawfully destroyed, and in addition thereto suffer an imprisonment for not less than four months nor more than six months: Provided, That if the area is reforested or under reforestation, the Government may in addition to the penalties herein prescribed, recover in civil action double the actual damages sustained as determined by the value of the property destroyed and the detriment to the vegetation thereof: Provided, however, That any person who shall, without license or permit, hunt, capture, kill, or attempt to take, capture, or kill, wilfully disturb or drive away any kind of birds, fish or animals within the national parks shall be subject to the penalties provided for under Act Numbered Twenty-five hundred and ninety, entitled 'An Act for the protection of game and fish' as amended: Provided, further, That in the case of a company or corporation, the president or manager shall be directly responsible for the acts of his employees or laborers if it is proved that the latter acted with his knowledge; otherwise, the liability shall extend only as far as the fine is concerned: And provided, finally, That the Court shall, upon conviction, order the eviction of the offender from the land and that all timber or other forest products collected or removed or any construction or improvement made thereon by the offender shall be forfeited to the Government."

SEC. 3. This Act shall take effect upon tits approval.Approved, June 14, 1947.

Source: Supreme Court E-Library