BAN ON CORAL EXPLOITATION AND EXPORTATION

Pursuant to Section 91 of R.A. 8550, otherwise known as the
Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, this regulation banning coral
exploitation and exportation is hereby promulgated.

SECTION 1. Definition of Terms . — As used in this Order, the following terms are defined as follows:

a. Person — includes a natural or juridical person

b. Coral — consists of small anemone-like organisms belonging to
Phylum Coelenterata which secrete their own skeletons of various forms
that may be hard, soft, stony or horny, and shall include the following:

i) Precious coral — skeleton of anthozoan coelenterata
characterized as having a rigid axis of calcareous or horny spicules,
belonging to the genus Corallium as represented by the red, pink and
white corals.

ii) Semi-precious coral — skeleton of anthozoan coelenterata
characterized a thorny, horny axis, such as the Antipatharians as
represented by the black corals.

iii) Ordinary coral — all kinds of coral other than precious and semi-precious corals.

c. Exploitation — the actual extraction, gathering and
collection in accordance with acceptable coral development and
conservation practices.

d. Exportation — the actual sending or shipping of corals to another country for sale.

SECTION 2. Prohibition . — It shall be unlawful
for any person or corporation to gather, possess, sell or export
ordinary, precious and semi-precious corals whether in raw or in
processed form.

SECTION 3. Exception . — The Secretary of
Agriculture through the Director of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources may,
however, issue a special permit to research institutions to gather any
coral in limited quantities for scientific or research purposes, except
those coral species listed in CITES Appendix.

SECTION 4. Penalty . — Violation of this Order
shall subject the offender to imprisonment from six months to two (2)
years and a fine from two thousand pesos (P2,000.00) to twenty thousand
pesos (P20,000.00) or both such fine and imprisonment at the discretion
of the court and forfeiture of the subject corals, including the vessel
and its proper disposition.

SECTION 5. Disposition . — The confiscated corals
shall either be returned to the sea or donated to schools and museums
for educational and scientific purposes or disposed through other means
most favorable to the Government.

SECTION 6. Repealing Clause . — All existing
administrative orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof which are
inconsistent with the provisions of this Order are hereby repealed or
modified accordingly.

SECTION 7. Effectivity . — This Order shall take
effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette
and/or two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Adopted: 14 Aug. 2000

(SGD.) EDGARDO J. ANGARA Secretary
Recommended by:
(SGD.) MALCOLM I. SARMIENTO, JR. Director Bureau of Fisheries & Aquatic Resources	(SGD.) CESAR M. DRILON, JR. Undersecretary for Fisheries and Legislative Relations