APRIL 30, 2016

NR # 4186

House bill banning importation & exportation of stalactites and

stalagmites gains Senate panel approval
A House proposal to protect the countrys national caves and their resources by
banning the exportation and importation of stalactites and stalagmites has gained
support in the Senate which passed the measure in the committee level.
The proposal embodied in House Bill 4495, principally authored by Rep. Gary C.
Alejano (Party-list, Magdalo), was passed on third and final reading by the House of
Representatives in 2014 and thereafter transmitted to the Senate for concurrence.
The House is now awaiting the Senate plenary approval of the proposal after the
Senate committee on environment and natural resources chaired by Sen. Francis Chiz
G. Escudero passed its version of the bill, contained in Senate Bill 822 authored by Sen.
Antonio Sonny Trillanes, last December 7, 2015.
The Senate committee thereafter endorsed SB 822 for plenary approval with
amendments and in consideration of HB 4495.
Alejano said the Philippines is one of the countries known for its rich natural
resources. Its caves specifically set the countrys resources apart from any other places
because of the exceptional resources such as the so-called dripstones, said Alejano.
Alejano said a dripstone is a collective term for stalagmites and stalactites, a kind of
precious mineral which takes hundreds of years to form.
Unfortunately, Alejano said recent news showed that some of these stalagmites and
stalactites are now being sold in the country when they should remain inside the confines
of caves.
This immediately called the attention of environment advocates and the general
public who witnessed the alarming scenario, said Alejano, a vice chairman of
the House committee on national defense and security.
Alejano cited that Republic Act 9072, otherwise known as the National Cave
Resources Management and Protection Act, was enacted in 2001 to protect
and conserve stalactites and stalagmites. However, the law has no provision
banning their importation and exportation, according to the lawmaker.
Our proposal is to amend RA 9072. The bill recognizes the importance of the
countrys cave resources and deems it important to put the import and export of stalactites
and stalagmites into a halt before these turn into a large-scale basis, said Alejano.

The bill amends Section 3 of RA 9072 to include in the definition of terms the
following : dripstone which refers to the rock deposited by precipitation from dripping
water that eventually forms into stalactites and stalagmites; stalactite which refers to an
icicle-shaped mass of calcite that forms and hangs from the ceiling of caves; stalagmite
which refers to a rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation
of calcite that drips from the ceiling of a cave; and calcite which refers to the
most common form of natural calcium carbonate mineral that forms into great
variety of crystals and which can be found in different geological environments.
Likewise, the bill amends Section 7 of RA 9072 on prohibited acts to include
importing and/or exporting of stalactites and stalagmites, and other minerals
that form part of the cave resources of the country, without prior clearance
from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Co-authors of the bill are Reps. Francisco Ashley L. Acedillo (Party-list, Magdalo),
Francisco Lalo T. Matugas (1st District, Surigao del Norte), Christopher S. Co
(Party-list, AKO Bicol) and Rodel M. Batocabe (Party-list, AKO Bicol). (30) rbb