Senator wants Manila Bay wetland protected

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Cynthia Villar has renewed her call for the public to protect the  Las Piñas–Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA) after environmental groups marked the World Wetlands Day last Feb. 2.

She reiterated her strong opposition the  plan to reclaim the  area, which was included in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. 

“We should stand up against any reclamation project in the area that will destroy our coastal environment, the most productive and biologically diverse landscapes known to man in an archipelagic country like the Philippines. This will do more harm than good,” Villar said. 

She noted that for an international treaty organization to recognize LPPCHEA’s global importance to biodiversity proves the area is indeed a critical habitat.

“It needs special protection from threats, including reclamation,” she stressed. 

The other Philippine sites recognized in the Ramsar List are Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park in Sulu, Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary, Naujan Lake National Park in Oriental Mindoro, Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary in Cebu and  Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Palawan. 

Villar said she is facing an uphill battle in her legal fight to stop the proposed reclamation at Manila Bay. 

She has filed a petition with the Supreme Court after the Court of Appeals dismissed her appeal for the grant of a writ of kalikasan to avert reclamation projects in the area.

She insisted the reclamation will cause massive flooding in 65 coastal villages in the cities of  Las Piñas, Parañaque and Bacoor in Cavite.

The Senate will conduct a hearing on these concerns tomorrow.

The World Wetlands Day is marked every Feb. 2 to remember the anniversary of the signing of the convention on Wetlands of International Importance or Ramsar Convention in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971.

The Philippines joined the Ramsar Convention in 1994. Signatories to join the convention agree to “include wetland conservation considerations in their national land-use planning” and commit to implement and promote “the wise use of wetlands in their territory.”