ABSTRACT
The Philippine forests have been the most coveted among the country’s natural resources, and the few who have been granted the privilege of ‘taming’ portions of them have reaped power and wealth. Deforestation in the Philippines, as in other parts of Southeast Asia, has been intimately connected with power politics. The dangerous intertwine of forests and politics was most glaring under Ferdinand Marcos (1969-1985). In bestowing upon himself the power to grant and revoke logging licenses – formerly held by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – the Marcos government used the Timber License Agreement or TLA as a tool of political patronage.1 Law enforcement was weak; violation of forestry laws went unpunished. Politicians, because of their direct or indirect stakes in logging (as lawyers for timber concessionaires, for example), pursued the interests of the industry over public and community rights to these resources.
