WHEREAS, the popularity of golf as a sport and tourist attraction has created a big demand for the construction and development of lands into golf courses and the necessary support facilities;

WHEREAS, the said construction, development, and operation of golf courses may result in disturbance of the environment and the ecology, in utilization of vast amounts of water and other scarce natural resources, withdrawal of lands from agricultural production, application of harmful chemicals and substances, and disposal of waste products into the environment;

WHEREAS, there is an urgent necessity for the adoption and implementation of uniform and comprehensive measures to address the foregoing concerns, and to solve them within the framework of national development goals;

WHEREAS, the said measures, to be comprehensive and to be effectively implemented, will require the participation of all the involved agencies of the government and of the private sector particularly the Republic of the Philippines Golf Association.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Fidel V. Ramos, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:

1. No Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) shall be issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for the construction, development and operation of golf courses unless favorably recommended by the Golf Course Construction and Development Committee (Committee).

2. The Committee is hereby created composed of the following:

a. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, as the lead agency

b. Republic of the Philippines Golf Association, as the co-lead agency

c. Department of Public Works and Highways

d. Department of Tourism

e. National Economic and Development Authority

f.  Department of Agriculture

g. A non-government organization organized for the protection of the environment and/or conservation of natural resources to be jointly chosen by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Republic of the Philippines Golf Association, and the

h. Office of the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel.

3. The Committee shall have the following powers and functions:

a. To adopt and promulgate standards for the construction, development, and operation of golf courses taking into consideration, among others, the protection of the environment, the conservation of natural resources, and optimum land utilization.

b. To assist in the evaluation of all applications for the issuance of the ECC on the basis of the duly promulgated standards.

c. To monitor compliance with all the terms and conditions of the ECC.

d. To recommend the suspension or revocation of the ECC of a golf course found not complying with the terms and conditions thereof.

4. This Order shall take effect immediately after publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines.

Adopted: 06 June 1996


(SGD.) RUBEN D. TORRES
Executive Secretary