Section 1. This Act shall apply to all public lands which are adapted to
pasture purposes.
Section 2. No person shall occupy or use any parcel of
public land for pasture purposes without first securing therefor a
lease or permit from the Director of Forestry in accordance with the
provisions of this Act.
Section 3. The Bureau of Forestry shall have
jurisdiction and authority over the administration, protection, and
management of pasture lands and over the granting of leases or permits
for pasture purposes to any citizen of lawful age of the Philippines
and any corporation or association of which at least sixty per centum
of the capital stock belongs wholly to citizens of the Philippines, and
which is organized and constituted under the laws of the Philippines
for an area of not more than two thousand hectares in accordance with
the provisions of this Act. Such leases shall run for a period of
not more than twenty five years, but may be renewed once for another
period of not to exceed twenty-five years, in case the lessee shall
have made important improvements, which in the discretion of the
Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce, justify a renewal.
Section 4. The Director of Forestry, with the approval
of the Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce, shall promulgate rules
and regulations consistent with this Act, as may be necessary and
proper to carry into effect the provisions thereof.
Section 5. All parcels of public land applied for
grazing purposes shall be investigated by the Bureau of Forestry and if
the same are found to be within certified alienable or disposable land
suitable for grazing purposes, said Bureau shall request the Bureau of
Lands that said parcels of land be reverted to the category of public
forest land. Upon such reversion, the Bureau of Forestry shall take
proper action on the pasture applications in accordance with the
provisions of this Act.
Section 6. Upon the approval of this Act, all
subsisting pasture leases granted by the Bureau of Lands shall continue
in full force and effect until the date of their expiration: Provided,
however, That upon being advised by the Bureau of Lands of the
expiration or cancellation of any pasture lease, the Bureau of Forestry
shall request the said Bureau of Lands that the area be reverted to the
category of public forest land and thereafter said land shall be
subject to disposition for grazing purposes in accordance with the
provisions of this Act. All other pasture lease applications which are
still pending action in the Bureau of Lands shall be referred to the
Bureau of Forestry for appropriate action.
Section 7. The annual rental of land under lease or
permit shall not be less than three per centum of the appraised or
reappraised value of the land and one per centum of that of the
improvement thereon, if any, based on the appraisal and reappraisal
made by the Director of Forestry with the approval of the Secretary of
Agriculture and Commerce. Should the term of the lease be ten years or
more, a reappraisal may be made every five years from the date of the
approval of the lease or permit. The Director of Forestry may request
the assistance of the provincial treasurer or assessor of the province
in which the land lies or may appoint a committee for such purpose in
the province or in the municipality in which the land lies.
Section 8. Before any lease or permit is issued under
the provisions of this Act, the applicant may, as guaranty of good
faith in filing his application and for the satisfactory compliance
with the terms and conditions of the lease or permit and the payment of
rental charges due thereon, be required to deposit with the Director of
Forestry a cash bond, a Philippine National Bank Bond, or a bond of the
Government of the Philippines, or any political subdivision thereof in
an amount to be determined by the Director of Forestry with the
approval of the Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce. In case the bond
required exceeds two hundred pesos, a bond duly executed by a reputed
surety company may be accepted, but in such case it shall be increased
by not less than twenty-five per centum nor more than seventy-five per
centum in the discretion of the Director of Forestry. This bond may be
confiscated by the Government in case of any violation on the part of
the lessee or permittee of any of the terms of the lease of permit.
Section 9. The Director of Forestry may, with the
approval of the Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce, grant pasture
lease agreements by auction or bidding after proper investigation of
the areas applied for has been made, subject to such conditions as may
be prescribed by him. All bids must be sealed and addressed to the
Director of Forestry and must have enclosed therewith cash or certified
check, Treasury warrant, or post-office money order payable to the
order of the Director of Forestry, for a sum equivalent to the rental
for at least, the first three months of the lease. No bid shall be
considered in which the proposed annual rental is less than three per
centum of the appraised or re-appraised value of the land and one per
centum of that of the improvements thereon, if any, in conformity with
section seven of this Act.
Section 10. Upon the final expiration of the
lease or permit, all immovable and other permanent improvements made by
the lessee, his heirs, executors, administrators, successors, or
assigns shall become the property of the Government.
Section 11. Any person or association of persons
occupying or using any part of the public domain for grazing purposes
without lease or permit in violation of the provisions of this Act or
of any rules or regulations promulgated thereunder shall be liable to
the payment of twice the regular rental charges now or hereafter
provided for by regulations during such time that the area is illegally
used or occupied. For failure to pay the rental charges due within
thirty days after they had become due and payable, the respondent shall
be penalized by an additional charge of fifty per centum of such rental
charges.
Section 12. This Act shall take effect upon its
approval.
Approved: June 8, 1939. |