UNDERWATER GEM. A coral in Panaon Island in Southern Leyte. Environmental group Oceana said on July 14, 2023 the bill seeking to declare Panaon Island in Southern Leyte as a protected seascape is gaining more support in the House of Representatives. (Photo courtesy of Oceana)
TACLOBAN CITY – Environmental group Oceana said the measure seeking to declare Panaon Island in Southern Leyte as a protected seascape is gaining more support in the House of Representatives.
The group reported on Friday that 52 congressmen led by Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez signed as co-author of the consolidated House Bill 6677 placing Panaon Island under the protection of the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act (NIPAS).
“It is with deep pride and honor that our call for protection of this biodiversity gem of Panaon Island was well received by no less than the leadership of this Chamber. We are looking forward to the passage of this bill soon, when the second regular session starts next month,” Southern Leyte 2nd district Rep. Christopherson Yap said in a statement shared by Oceana.
Yap and Oceana recently showcased Panaon Island in a photo exhibit in Congress, particularly its impressive coral reefs, mangroves that host the endemic Philippine ducks, and other threatened species such as whale sharks, hawksbill turtles, and green sea turtles found in the waters surrounding the island.
Yap urged his fellow lawmakers to visit and dive into Panaon to see how beautiful the island is and why he continues to ask his colleagues to support his bill.
“Oceana is very proud of the concerted efforts to move for the national protection of Panaon Island’s magnificent coral reefs. Protecting these climate-resilient reefs and saving these coral reefs from the continuous threats that hound our marine resources will in turn provide food security and livelihood to so many Filipinos, not to mention the contribution of the country to the global effort to declare 30 percent of the planet’s water as marine protected areas by 2030,” said Oceana’s acting vice president and legal and policy director, lawyer Rose Liza Eisma-Osorio.
To seal the national protection, Yap filed House Bills 4095 and 6677 while Rep. Luz Mercado of the (Southern Leyte 1st district) filed House Bill 3743 at the start of the 19th Congress.
On May 15, the House Committee on Natural Resources provisionally approved the consolidated bill for the proposed Panaon Island seascape pending the submission of a minor revision to the technical description from the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority.
The Mapping Authority submitted to the Committee the revised technical description before the session ended on May 26.
At the Senate, Senator Cynthia Villar, who chairs the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, filed a counterpart measure, Senate Bill 1690.
Oceana is an international advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the world’s oceans. (PNA)
