The Protected Area Management Board is a multi-sectoral body created to administer and manage the protected area. The Board shall decide allocations for budget, approve proposals for funding, decide matters relating to planning, peripheral protection and general administration of the protected area in accordance with the approved General Management Strategy/Plan. The Board shall be comprised of representatives.

Out of the 96 potential PAMB members, only 61 have completed their application requirements. The completed applications have been forwarded to DENR Region X for proper endorsement to the DENR Secretary.

Monthly Execom meetings were held by hold over members, in spite of the absence of valid appointments they were still able to get a quorum during meetings.

The Mt. Malindang Ecological Convergence Area is now being implemented with the inclusion of five Municipalities from Zamboanga Del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte (Mutia, La Libertad, Josefina, Tambulig and Sergio Osmena). The Municipal Mayors of these areas have been invited to submit their applications as PAMB members and are now attending PAMB meetings.

Last May 26, 2000 a PAMB ENBANC meeting was held to elect the members who will compose the Executive Committee. Seventeen members were elected composed by six Municipal Mayors, six Indigenous Peoples representative, two Non Government Organization representatives, two National Government agency representatives and one Provincial Government representative.

The PAMB Executive Committee met last June 29, 2000 at Castle Peak Hotel in Cebu City and approved the General Management Plan for Mt. Malindang Natural Park.

The PAMB Execom met last August 3 and September 1, 2000 to re-organize the PAMB standing Committees and appoint its new members. The Committees are as follows, Finance Committee, Forest Land Delineation Committee, Livelihood Committee, Technical Review Committee and Law Enforcement Committee. The Chairman of each Committee has been tasked to initiate their organizational meetings for them to perform their designated tasks.

INTEGRATED PROTECTED AREA FUND (IPAF)

IPAF is a trust fund established as a provision of the 1992 NIPAS Act (Sec. 16), to receive donations and endowments as well as to collect fees as authorized by the Secretary of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). IPAF is designed to sustain some of the costs of protected area management and infrastructure, and to ensure self-financing PA management.

Sub Fund account number 401-039 has been assigned to Mt. Malindang National Park and a current account established at the Landbank Branch in Ozamiz City. The appointment of the PASu as Special Collecting Officer is still pending.

In spite of the existence of a PAMB Resolution specifying fees to be collected from Park visitors, this hardly materializes. As of September 30, 2000 the balance of the IPAF is P 3,000.

The IPAF training has been conducted last April 6-7, 2000 at Naomi’s Tourist Inn in Ozamiz City. There were 38 participants coming from the PAMB, the DENR PENRO and CENRO offices. As a result of the training, it was agreed upon by the PAMB members that a review of the current guidelines on collection of fees and the amounts being imposed for visitors and other activities being undertaken in the park should be reviewed. The existing Committees were tasked to come up with their respective recommendations to the PAMB for approval.