Villar leads in the sustainable development of Las PiñasParañaque Wetland Park
Our coastlines are vital to all biodiversity on this planet. Beaches and wetlands serve as the natural habitat of millions of living beings, including marine animals that form part of our diet. Imagine what would happen to human life if we lose our marine ecosystem.
In a 2015 report, Ocean Conservancy and the McKinsey Center for Business and Environment stated that the Philippines has become the third-largest producer of plastic waste in our oceans. Plastic waste has littered the shores of Manila Bay and connected waterways and threatens biodiversity along those areas.
One particularly affected area is the 175-hectare Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park, one of the Ramsar Convention’s Wetlands of International Importance, and a protected area under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018.
Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park is home to the last remaining mangrove forest in Metro Manila and serves as the natural habitat for 84 bird species, including migratory birds from as far as Siberia. It is also the breeding site of the vulnerable Philippine Duck and supports at least 1,000 of the 100,000 remaining Black-Winged Stilts in the world.
AN UNWAVERINg COMMITMENT
In response to these threats, the Philippines has continuously participated along with other countries in the annual observance of International Coastal Cleanup Day (ICCD).
On Saturday, Sept. 22, Senator Cynthia Villar, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, led coast lovers and environmental warriors in picking debris and garbage littering the stretch of the Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park.
The Senator put on her gloves and joined some 1,352 volunteers clean up trash in the 20 stations set up within the wetland park. She and the rest of the volunteers were divided into two groups as trash collectors and trash sorters were distributed all over Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park.
The activities at Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park were simultaneous with other ICCD activities held at SM by the Bay (Mall of Asia), Navotas, Malabon, Polytechnic University of the Philippines Manila and Roxas Boulevard. Since the inception of ICCD in 1986, the Philippines has become a constant participant in the annual global gathering of volunteers from government institutions and nongovernment organizations. According to ICCD organizer Ocean Conservancy, the country was the top participant last year with 214,165 volunteers.
In a speech after the cleanup event, Senator Villar said the public’s cooperation in the mission to protect and conserve the environment is amply reflected in this year’s theme of the International Coastal Cleanup Day, which is “Tayo ang Solusyon sa Polusyon.”
“I am happy to see so many volunteer cleaners this morning! The high number of volunteers for this cleanup drive is a testament to the growing consciousness among Filipinos of the importance of taking care of our environment, especially our marine resources. The challenge of preserving and conserving Mother Nature is a gargantuan task but I am confident that if we continue to work together, we will attain victory in the long run,”Villar said.
The senator added: “We have seen the wrath of Mother Nature in the death of many of our kababayans in Itogon, Benguet and in Naga City, Cebu who abused the bounty of their natural resources, and in the thousands of houses and properties washed away by massive floods caused by clogged drainages and waterways. Let us not waver from our commitment to be warriors of the environment and strive to stop all forms of abuses that will destroy our natural wealth.”
A CENTER FOR CONSERVATION AWARENESS
Senator Villar’s commitment to preserving the Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park doesn’t end with the annual International Coastal Cleanup Day activities. Her work in the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources has led to the appropriation of public funds needed for the revitalization of Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park into a public nature park.
Among the plans for the wetland park include the Wetland Center Complex, which will house a wetland museum, training center, an office for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and a restaurant.
The Wetland Center Complex also comes complete with parking areas, bicycle racks, toilets, a view deck, and a composting facility that will turn the facility’s waste into organic fertilizer.
Aside from this complex, the wetland park will also feature two nature trails along the stretch of its mangrove forests. Visiting tourists can also easily admire the wetland’s entire landscape from two viewing towers that will be built on site. Four bird hides will also be constructed to aid birdwatchers and ornithologists in the observance and monitoring of bird species in the park.
Other features that will rise in the wetland park include a bambusetum, an area along the coast where a variety of bamboo species will be grown for conservation, and two nature trails along the coast for joggers and cyclists.A planned pier will allow tour boats to dock at the wetland, one of which is the Zapote River Cruise along the border of Las Piñas and Bacoor, Cavite, which Senator Villar has also been working on to establish. With the transformation of the Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park it is expected that more Filipinos, especially those living along the coast of Manila Bay, will learn about the significance of wetlands and coastlines in sustaining our biodiversity. It will be a huge step in creating greater consciousness and participation in the protection and conservation of our planet’s endangered ecosystem.