UNDERWATER GEM. The rich marine life in Panaon Island, Southern Leyte must be protected at all costs, according to lawmakers, local government units and environmental groups like Oceana on Tuesday (Jan. 31, 2023). Coastal communities are also dependent on fishing as livelihood while tourists flock to the island for diving and snorkeling. (Courtesy of Danny Ocampo/Oceana)
MANILA – The Panaon Island in Southern Leyte must be declared a protected area due to overfishing and potential destruction of its inhabitants.
Due to its extensive coral reefs and various marine species, Panaon Island may also attract illegal traders.
It was identified as part of the 50 priority reefs in the world that will withstand the impacts of climate change.
"Reef-associated fish communities at the different reef areas around Panaon Island were found to have moderate richness and very high abundance," Senator Cynthia Villar said in a statement.
Villar, chair of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, has filed Senate Bill No. 1690 or the Panaon Island Protected Seascape Act of 2023.
The Panaon Island seascape, which is in the southern tip of Southern Leyte, is under the jurisdiction of the towns of Liloan, San Francisco, Pintuyan and San Ricardo.
Based on the records and suitability assessments by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Biodiversity Management Bureau, Villar said there are still numerous sites in the country that should be declared protected areas, with the Panaon Island seascape as one of them.
"With 41 percent of the coral reefs surveyed, it is estimated to have greater than 50 percent hard coral cover, a rarity in the country nowadays," Villar said.
At the House of Representatives, Southern Leyte 2nd District Rep. Christopherson Yap also filed House Bill 4095 last year seeking to protect the waters surrounding Panaon Island by placing it under the protective mantle of the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (ENIPAS).
"The formation of a body specially created for its protection would deter commercial vessels from encroaching in municipal waters to do their illegal acts with impunity and keep our most prized reefs from destruction. This will allow marine life to thrive and to be available to our subsistence fishermen and give assurance to our visitors that they will get what they came for or will have something much better to come back to," Yap said.
Also last year, environmental group Oceana supported the local governments with jurisdiction over Panaon Island to designate through legislation the marine habitat and sanctuaries as one of the country’s protected areas
Oceana said mayors filed separate resolutions, pledging their support to the efforts to include Panaon Island in the ENIPAS.
Oceana is an international advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the world’s oceans. (PNA)
