Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines

Section 4

Creation of, and merger of all forestry agencies into, the Bureau of Forest Development. For the purpose of implementing the provisions of this Code, the Bureau of Forestry, the Reforestation Administration, the Southern Cebu Reforestation Development Project, and the Parks and Wildlife Office, including applicable appropriations, records, equipment, property and such personnel as may be necessary, are hereby merged into a single agency to be known as the Bureau of Forest Development, hereinafter referred to as the Bureau.

Section 6

Director and Assistant Director and their qualifications. The Bureau shall be headed by a Director, who shall be assisted by one or more Assistant Directors. The Director and Assistant Directors shall be appointed by the President. No person shall be appointed Director or Assistant Director of the Bureau unless he is a natural born citizen of the Philippines, at least 30 years of age, a holder of at least a Bachelor's Degree in Forestry or its equivalent, and a registered forester.

Section 7

Supervision and Control. The Bureau shall be directly under the control and supervision of the Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources, hereinafter referred to as the Department Head.

Section 8

Review. All actions and decisions of the Director are subject to review, motu propio or upon appeal of any person aggrieved thereby, by the Department Head whose decision shall be final and executory after the lapse of thirty (30) days from receipt by the aggrieved party of said decision, unless appealed to the President in accordance with the Executive Order No. 19, series of 1966. The Decision of the Department Head may not be reviewed by the courts except through a special civil action for certiorari or prohibition.

Section 9

Rules and Regulations. The Department Head, upon the recommendation of the Director of Forest Development, shall promulgate the rules and regulations necessary to implement effectively the provisions of this Code.

Section 10

Creation of Functional Divisions, and Regional and District Offices. All positions in the merged agencies are considered vacant. Present occupants may be appointed in accordance with a staffing pattern or plan of organization to be prepared by the Director and approved by the Department Head. Any appointee who fails to report for duty in accordance with the approved plan within thirty (30) days upon receipt of notification shall be deemed to have declined the appointment, in which case the position may be filed by any other qualified applicant. For the efficient and effective implementation of the program of the Bureau, the following divisions and sections are hereby created, to wit: The Department Head may, upon recommendation of the Director, reorganize or create such other divisions, sections of units as may be deemed necessary and to appoint the personnel there: Provided, That an employee appointed or designated as officer-in-charge of a newly created division, section or unit, or to an existing vacant position with a higher salary, shall receive, from the date of such appointment or designation until he is replaced or reverted to his original position, the salary corresponding to the position temporarily held by him. There shall be created at least eleven regional offices. In each region, there shall be as many forest districts as may be necessary, in accordance with the extent of forest area, established work loads, need for forest protection, fire prevention and other factors, the provisions of any law to the contrary notwithstanding: Provided, That the boundaries of such districts shall follow, whenever possible, natural boundaries of watersheds under the river-basin concept of management.

Section 11

The Bureau shall establish and operate an in-service training center for the purpose of upgrading and training its personnel and new employees. The Bureau shall also set aside adequate funds to enable personnel to obtain specialized education and training in local or foreign colleges or institutions. There shall be established in the College of Forestry, University of the Philippines at Los Baños, in coordination with the Department of Natural Resources and the wood industry, a Forestry Development Center which shall conduct basic policy researches in forestry and develop or help develop an effective machinery for forestry policy formulation and implementation. To help defray the cost of operating said Center, it is authorized to receive assistance from the wood industry and other sources. (Amending P.D. No. 705 (Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines), Presidential Decree No. 1559, [June 11, 1978])

Section 12

Performance Evaluation. The Bureau shall devise a system, to be approved by the Department Head, to evaluate the performance of its employees. The system shall measure accomplishment in quantity and quality of performance as related to the funded program of work assigned to each organizational unit. There shall be included a system of periodic inspection of district offices by the regional offices and the regional and district offices by the Central Office in both functional fields and in the overall assessment of how each administrative unit has implemented the laws, regulations, policies, programs, and practices relevant to such unit. The evaluation system shall provide the information necessary for annual progress reports and determination of employee training civil service awards and transfer or disciplinary action.