Senate approves bill expanding protected areas

The Senate passed on third and final reading last Monday a bill that would bring 92 new areas, including six internationally recognized natural sites, under the protection and management of the country’s landmark National Integrated and Protected Areas System Act.

Senate Bill 1444, or the “Expanded NIPAS Act of 2017,” was authored by Senators Cynthia Villar, Loren Legarda, Francis Escudero, Nancy Binay, Juan Miguel Zubiri and Joel Villanueva.

According to Villar, chair of the Senate committee on environment and natural resources, the bill seeks to amend Republic Act 7586 or the NIPAS Act of 1992, in order “to include more areas and to ensure greater protection for all protected areas.”

She explained that the NIPAS Act, first enacted as a “mechanism to conserve the biodiversity in the Philippines,” provides the legal framework for the establishment and management of protected areas in the country.

“The Philippines’ rich biodiversity is a source of pride and joy for all of us Filipinos. We actively protect and strongly defend the breadth and depth of our territories to ensure that the future generation of Filipinos will still have the opportunity to take pride and find joy in our country’s rich biodiversity,” she said.

Villar noted that among the 92 new protected areas, six sites were internationally recognized and classified as ASEAN Heritage Sites: Mount Timpoong-Hibok-Hibok and Mount Iglit-Baco; Malaysia-Philippines Heritage Parks, Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area; and Ramsar Sites Agusan Marsh, Olango Island and the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area.

Among the key provisions of the bill were the creation of a “Protected Area Management Office” for each of the protected areas, and the rationalization of the existing Protected Areas Management Board, which will now include local government officials, indigenous peoples, non-government organizations, academic institutions and women.

Legarda said through the measure, local communities and stakeholders will be able to do more to participate in the management and protection of the country’s forests, oceans, flora, fauna and the indigenous peoples that reside in these sanctuaries.