Marine Park Rangers

The composite team of marine park rangers was conceptualised in 1995 when a multi-sectoral
Presidential Task Force was established to safeguard Tubbataha by then President Fidel V. Ramos.
This represented a shift in the national approach to natural resource management – a move towards
decentralization and collaboration that was embraced by those involved in environmental
conservation. This change enabled the current law enforcement arrangements in Tubbataha and was
formalised by the Tubbataha Act of 2009.
The composite team of marine park rangers is made up of:

 The Philippine Navy

 The Philippine Coast Guard
 The Local Government Unit of Cagayancillo
 Tubbataha Management Office
When the Tubbataha Management Office (TMO) was established in 2001, the law enforcement team
developed guidelines for marine park rangers, with assistance from WWF-Philippines. Comprehensive
training for Marine Park Rangers ensures each individual is familiar with law enforcement protocols
before they are assigned to Tubbataha. Basic ecology and management objectives for TRNP are also a
key part of the training course.

Comprehensive training is critical since marine park rangers come from different agencies with unique
mandates, they have different training, skill sets and levels of environmental awareness. Guidelines
are periodically reviewed as circumstances change and new challenges emerge. Training unites
rangers from different backgrounds and ensures that they can focus on the task at hand - protecting
Tubbataha.

The Ranger Station

In the early years of law enforcement by the Presidential Task Force, the rangers were housed in a
simple canvas tent. In 1996 a wooden structure was built but shifting sand soon rendered its
foundations unstable. At present, the marine park rangers are housed in a styrofoam-reinforced
concrete structure on a sandbar on Tubbatha’s North Atoll. They are stationed in TRNP on two-month
rotations all year round, and are equipped with two patrol boats, a utility boat, radar, radio
communications, geo-positioning system (GPS) units, and basic research equipment.

The Tubbataha Act

The Republic Act 10067, known as the TRNP Act, provides the legal and institutional framework for
enforcement in the Tubbataha Reefs. The statute defines the authority of the Tubbataha Protected
Area Management Board (TPAMB) to impose sanctions against violators. Further details of RA 10067
are found in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) issued by the TPAMB in October 2010 and
amended in 2012. The IRR provides details of the function and of the TPAMB Investigation Committee
(TIC), the legal arm of the TPAMB.

The TRNP Act gives the TPAMB autonomy to formulate regulations. The TPAMB has subsequently
issued more detailed regulations and guidelines, which were recently presented in an Administrative
Order . This document provides details of the activities allowed in the Park, procedures for access in
TRNP, and the penalties for non-compliance.

Source: http://www.tubbatahareef.org/wp/law_enforcement