PIA Press Release
Friday, January 27, 2012 Tubbataha Management Board adopts stiffer rules on use of parkby Thelma B. OliverPUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan, Jan. 27 (PIA) -- The Tubbataha Protected Area Management Board (TPAMB) adopts stiffer rules and guidelines on the conduct of allowable activities inside the Tubbataha Reef Natural Park (TRNP) to enhance its protection and conservation. The TPAMB approved recently Administrative Order (AO) No. 1, which consolidates all previous TPAMB issuances and prohibited acts stipulated in Republic Act 10067 or the TRNP Act of 2009. The TPAMB, the sole policy-making and regulatory authority of the TRNP, foresees that the order will improve compliance to the rules and regulations, rationalize enforcement and serve as a guide in the resolution of administrative cases. The formulation of the AO was a collaborative work of the 32 participants coming from the government and private sectors in a workshop held last month in this city. The workshop was sponsored by Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammernarbeit (GIZ), a German funding agency under its ‘Adaptation to Climate Change in Coastal Areas’ program. The new AO details allowable activities in the TRNP and sets penalties for violations of any of the rules, protocols and standards stipulated in the AO. Activities allowed in the TRNP are tourism, non-commercial tourism activities, research and monitoring, bioprospecting and commercial filming and photography. All activities in the park require visitor entry and vessel entry permits with corresponding conservation fees. No one will be allowed inside the TRNP without permit which shall be secured with the Tubbataha Management Office weeks before the actual date of visit. (VSM/TBO/PIA-4B) | 
