Senate panel okays 2 bills on Ilocos protected areas

The Senate committee on environment and natural resources chaired by Sen. Pia Cayetano recently approved two local bills seeking to designate forestlands and marine resources in the Ilocos region as "protected areas."

Cayetano said House Bills 4305 and 4420 declare La Union’s Agoo-Damortis seascape and landscape and Ilocos Sur’s Lidlidda-Banayoyo landscape protected areas.

The twin measures were approved without amendments.

Cayetano described the approval of the measures as a "fitting gift" to the people of the region this coming Earth Day, April 22.

The Agoo-Damortis protected seascape and landscape covers 19 barangays in the La Union towns of Agoo, Sto. Tomas and Rosario.

The area is made up of forests, wetlands and shorelines and is home to several bird, fish and plant species.

The Lidlidda-Banayoyo landscape, on the other hand, is composed of 1,157 hectares of forestlands covering several barangays in the Ilocos Sur towns of Lidlidda and Banayoyo.

Cayetano said a local Protected Area Management Board (PAMB), composed of representatives of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, local government units, concerned communities and non-government organizations, will oversee the protected areas.

Hunting of animals, gathering of plants, mineral exploration and logging without permission from the PAMB are prohibited under the proposed measures.

Other prohibited acts include the dumping of wastes and occupation of lands.

HB 4305, authored by Rep. Eric Singson (second district, Ilocos Sur), and HB 4420 of Rep. Tomas Dumpit (second district, La Union) were earlier approved by the House committee on natural resources chaired by Rep. Leovigildo Banaag.