LOCAL government units (LGUs) were called upon by Senator Cynthia A. Villar on Tuesday to increase their monitoring of protected areas to preserve biodiversity in their respective regions, which she said has deteriorated due to human activity.
“Please look after your legislated protected areas because it’s your responsibility,” Ms. Villar, speaking partly in Filipino, said at the Senate Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change hearing. “We have the power to really take care of our protected areas if we want to.”
The committee tackled bills seeking to declare six new protected areas in the Philippines: the Aurora Memorial Protected Landscape in Aurora province; the Mt. Sawtooth Protected Landscape in Tarlac; the Mt. Masaraga Protected Landscape in Albay; the Panaon Island Protected Seascape in Southern Leyte; and the Mt. Gutom Protected Landscape and the Sultan Naga Dimaporo Protected Landscape and Seascape in Lanao del Norte.
Ms. Villar said senators and congressmen would hold technical workings groups to enhance the proposals.
Since the enactment of the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018, a total of 94 protected areas have been designated, seven of which were designated last year.
“It is of utmost importance for the country to have an integrated and reliable system to effectively manage the protected areas to ensure the sustainability of our biodiversity,” Ms. Villar said.
Last month, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) put on hold applications for leases, permits and other agreements on protected lasts to review how stakeholders and private entities may use these areas.
Ms. Villar had urged the state to harness modern technology and satellite imagery to monitor activities being conducted that could damage the biodiversity in the protected lands.
“You see, our country’s significant natural attributes carry with them great responsibility upon us,” the senator said. “One effective way of affording protection to these areas is by designating them as protected areas through legislation.” — John Victor D. Ordoñez
