PENAL PROVISIONS OF THE REVISED FORESTRY CODE
(P.D. No. 705, as amended by P.D. No. 1559,
E.O. No. 277; Renumbered by R.A. No. 7161)

Excerpt and later-law note. This reader contains only Sections 77–85 of P.D. No. 705 in the represented amended and renumbered edition; Sections 77-A and 77-B and the remainder of the Code are omitted. R.A. No. 7161, Section 7 renumbered the earlier sections. Section 85 retains the issued references to former Sections 74 and 75 (now Sections 83 and 84). The Section 77 reference to Revised Penal Code penalties must be read with later amendments to Article 309, including R.A. No. 10951, Section 81. R.A. No. 9147, Sections 27–28 and 40 separately governs specified wildlife offenses. R.A. No. 11361, Sections 7–8, 12 and 19, provides a limited power-line-corridor exception with due-notice conditions. This excerpt does not consolidate those later laws or certify current permits, charges or enforcement procedures.

Source variants. In Section 78, this page follows the Supreme Court E-Library text of P.D. No. 1559 ("payment of"); the quotation in Isican v. People, January 29, 2026 reads "payment to." The awkward expressions "removed" (Section 77), "all improvement" (Section 79), and "or more" and "compensate or" (Section 80) appear in official reproductions and are kept without correction.

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SEC. 77. Cutting, Gathering and/or collecting Timber, or Other Forest Products Without License. — Any person who shall cut, gather, collect, removed timber or other forest products from any forest land, or timber from alienable or disposable public land, or from private land, without any authority, or possess timber or other forest products without the legal documents as required under existing forest laws and regulations, shall be punished with the penalties imposed under Articles 309 and 310 of the Revised Penal Code: Provided, That in the case of partnerships, associations, or corporations, the officers who ordered the cutting, gathering, collection or possession shall be liable, and if such officers are aliens, they shall, in addition to the penalty, be deported without further proceedings on the part of the Commission on Immigration and Deportation.

The court shall further order the confiscation in favor of the government of the timber or any forest products cut, gathered, collected, removed, or possessed as well as the machinery, equipment, implements and tools illegally used in the area where the timber or forest products are found. (As amended by E.O. No. 277, July 25, 1987)

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SEC. 78. Unlawful occupation or destruction of forest lands and grazing lands. — Any person who enters and occupies or possesses, or makes kaingin for his own private use or for others, any forest land or grazing land without authority under a license agreement, lease, license or permit, or in any manner destroys such forest land or grazing land or part thereof, or causes any damage to the timber stand and other products and forest growth found therein, or who assists, aids or abets any other person to do so, or sets a fire, or negligently permits a fire to be set in any forest land or grazing land, or refuses to vacate the area when ordered to do so, pursuant to the provisions of Section 53 hereof shall, upon conviction, be fined in an amount of not less than five hundred pesos (P500.00), nor more than twenty thousand pesos (P20,000.00) and imprisoned for not less than six (6) months nor more than two (2) years for each such offense, and be liable to the payment of ten (10) times the rental fees and other charges which would have accrued had the occupation and use of the land been authorized under a license agreement, lease, license or permit: Provided, That in the case of an offender found guilty of making kaingin, the penalty shall be imprisonment for not less than two (2) nor more than four (4) years and a fine equal to eight (8) times the regular forest charges due on the forest products destroyed, without prejudice to the payment of the full cost of production of the occupied area as determined by the Bureau: Provided, further, That the maximum of the penalty prescribed herein shall be imposed upon the offender who repeats the same offense and double the maximum of the penalty upon the offender who commits the same offense for the third time.

In all cases the Court shall further order the eviction of the offender from the land and the forfeiture to the government of all improvements made and all vehicles, domestic animals and equipment of any kind used in the commission of the offense. If not suitable for use by the Bureau, said vehicles, domestic animals, equipment and improvements shall be sold at public auction, the proceeds of which shall accrue to the Development Fund of the Bureau.

In case the offender is a government official or employee, he shall, in addition to the above penalties be deemed automatically dismissed from office and permanently disqualified from holding any elective or appointive position. (As amended by P.D. No. 1559, June 11, 1978)

SEC. 79. Pasturing Livestock. — Imprisonment for not less than six (6) months nor more than two (2) years and a fine equal to ten (10) times the regular rentals due, in addition to the confiscation of such livestock and all improvement introduced in the area in favor of the government, shall be imposed upon any person, who shall, without authority under a lease or permit, graze or cause to graze livestock in forest lands, grazing lands and alienable and disposable lands which have not as yet been disposed of in accordance with the Public Land Act; Provided, That in case the offender is a corporation, partnership or association, the officers and directors thereof shall be liable.

SEC. 80. Illegal occupation of national parks system and recreation areas and vandalism therein. — Any person who, shall, without permit, occupy for any length of time any portion of the national parks system or shall, in any manner cut, destroy, damage or remove timber or any species of vegetation or forest cover and other natural resources found therein, or shall mutilate, deface or destroy objects of natural beauty or of scenic value within areas in the national parks system, shall be fined not less than five hundred (P500.00) pesos or more than twenty thousand (P20,000.00) pesos exclusive of the value of the thing damaged: Provided, That if the area requires rehabilitation or restoration as determined by the Director, the offender shall also be required to restore or compensate or the restoration of the damage: Provided, further, That any person who, without proper permit shall hunt, capture or kill any kind of bird, fish or wild animal life within the area in the national parks system shall be subject to the same penalty: Provided, finally, That the Court shall order eviction of the offender from the land and the forfeiture in favor of the government of all timber or any species or vegetation and other natural resources collected or removed, and any construction or improvement made thereon by the offender. If the offender is an association or corporation, the president or manager shall be directly responsible and liable for the act of his employees or laborers.

In the event that an official or employee of a city or municipal government is primarily responsible for detecting and convicting the violator of the provisions of this section, fifty per centum (50%) of the fine collected shall accrue to such municipality or city for the development of local parks. (As amended by P.D. No. 1559, June 11, 1978)

SEC. 81. Destruction of wildlife resources. — Any person violating the provisions of Section 55 of this Code, or the regulations promulgated thereunder, shall be fined not less than one hundred (P100.00) pesos for each such violation and in addition shall be denied a permit for a period of three (3) years from the date of the violation.

SEC. 82. Survey by unauthorized person. — Imprisonment for not less than two (2) nor more than four (4) years, in addition to the confiscation of the implements used in the violation of this section including the cancellation of the license, if any, shall be imposed upon any person who shall, without permit to survey from the Director, enter any forest lands, whether covered by a license agreement, lease, license, or permit, or not, and conduct or undertake a survey for whatever purpose.

SEC. 83. Misclassification and survey by government official or employee. — Any public officer or employee who knowingly surveys, classifies, or recommends the release of forest lands as alienable and disposable lands contrary to the criteria and standards established in this Code, or the rules and regulations promulgated hereunder, shall, after an appropriate administrative proceeding, be dismissed from the service with prejudice to re-employment, and upon conviction by a court of competent jurisdiction, suffer an imprisonment of not less than one (1) year and a fine of not less than one thousand, (P1,000.00) pesos. The survey, classification or release of forest lands shall be null and void.

SEC. 84. Tax declaration on real property. — Imprisonment for a period of not less than two (2) nor more than four (4) years and perpetual disqualification from holding an elective or appointive office, shall be imposed upon any public officer or employee who shall issue a tax declaration on real property without a certification from the Director of Forest Development and the Director of Lands or their duly designated representatives that the area declared for taxation is alienable and disposable lands, unless the property is titled or has been occupied and possessed by members of the national cultural minorities prior to July 4, 1955.

SEC. 85. Coercion and influence. — Any person who coerces, influences, abets or persuades the public officer or employee referred to in Sections 74 and 75 commit any of the acts mentioned therein shall suffer imprisonment of not less than one (1) year and pay a fine of five hundred (P500.00) pesos for every hectare or a fraction thereof so improperly surveyed, classified or released.

In all other cases, any person who coerces, influences, abets or persuades the public officer or employee by using power and influence in deciding any pending case or matter in his favor shall be punished by a fine of not more than five thousand pesos (P5,000.00) and imprisonment of not less than one (1) year. (As amended by P.D. No. 1559, June 11, 1978)

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Original P.D. No. 705: May 19, 1975. The excerpt incorporates the amendments and renumbering identified above.