President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act 12230, declaring an area in Ilocos Norte as the Paoay Lake Protected Landscape for better management and appropriate funding, Malacañang announced.
The president signed the new law on August 4, 2025 “in recognition of the richness of biological resources, both flora and fauna, that are native and distinct to Paoay Lake as well as their aesthetic and ecological importance.”
RA 12230 underscored the state’s policy to secure the perpetual existence of all native plants and animals for Filipinos’ present and future generations through the declaration of protected areas under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS).
The law mandates the creation of a Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) composed of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regional executive director, provincial governor, senators who are registered residents of Ilocos Norte, representative of the congressional district of Paoay, the municipal mayor, among others.
The PAMB’s duties include overseeing the management of the Paoay Lake Protected Landscape; approving policies, plans, and programs for the area’s management; and approving and harmonizing a management plan with the Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan.
A Protected Area Management Office will also be established to supervise daily management, protection, and administration of the Paoay Lake Protected Landscape.
The law also seeks the creation of the Paoay Lake Protected Landscape Integrated Fund for the protection, maintenance, administration, and management of the NIPAS and duly approved projects endorsed by the PAMB.
The fund may be augmented by grants, donations, and endowments from various domestic and foreign sources, and shall be deposited as a special account in the National Treasury.
