14 April 2011

Dear partners and friends:

A group of civil society organizations (CSOs) drafted the Forest Resources Bill (FRB), its version of the Sustainable Forest Management Bill, and lobbied for its filing in the House of Representatives last year. The major provisions of the FRB are the protection of all natural forests, primary and secondary; the adoption of an ecological-based definition of the forest; the addition of a restoration area classification instead of a protection-production dichotomy; the integration of watershed continuum-based forest management; and the empowerment of local governments and communities in forest governance.

Last February 1, President Benigno Aquino III signed Executive Order No. 23 which declared a nationwide moratorium on the cutting and harvesting of timber in natural and residual forests. Many environmental groups lauded this initiative, which provided significant support to the lobbying for a new forest policy.

The group thought that a network should be established to be more effective in the campaign and to address issues in forest governance as well. Thus, Sagip GUBAT (saGipin Ugat ng Buhay At Tubig) was created last March as a national network of forest conservation advocates aiming to:

1. Raise awareness on the importance of forests and the urgency of the FRB;
2. Lobby for the enactment of the FRB and other important forest policies (EO 23);
3. Strengthen multi-stakeholder, forest-based partnerships;
4. Facilitate CSO participation in forest policy development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation;
5. Share information and resources among those engaged in forest conservation-related activities; and
6. Promote integrity in forest governance.

We invite you to join our network either as an organization or in your individual capacity. We also hope to see you in our network launch and press conference on April 27, 2011, 11 A.M. to 1 P.M. at the Sapphire Room of the Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila, Ortigas Ave. corner ADB Ave., Quezon City. Rep. Teddy Brawner Baguilat Jr. of Ifugao, Rep. Mel Senen Sarmiento of Western Samar, and Rep. Arthur Defensor Jr. of Iloilo, all FRB sponsors; Prof. Blas Tabaranza Jr. of Haribon Foundation; and other network representatives will be our panelists.

Please confirm your organization’s inclusion to the network, and your attendance to the presscon, with Denise Fontanilla. You can contact her through rainforestation@haribon.org.ph, 0922-8151938, or (632) 434-4642/911-6089.

Thank you and we look forward to your participation.

Sincerely,
The Sagip GUBAT Network
Alyansa Tigil Mina
Greenresearch Environmental Research Group*
Haribon Foundation*
Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center
Philippine Association for Intercultural Development
Sagip Sierra Madre Environmental Society*
Save Sierra Madre Network*
Tribal Center for Development
(Note: Confirmed convenors are marked with asterisks.)