THE House of Representatives failed to pass a bill conserving 97 protected areas (PAs) in the country as it adjourned early on Wednesday, the last session day before the Congress’s election break.
The Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (E-Nipas) bill, filed by Nacionalista Party Rep. Mark Villar of Las Piñas, seeks to strengthen conservation of 97 PAs in the Philippines.
Nationalist People’s Coalition Rep. Douglas Hagedorn of Palawan was pushing for the inclusion of five critical areas in Palawan, including the El Nido Managed Resource Protected Area, Malampaya Sound Protected Landscape and Seascape, Mount Mantalinhangan Protected Landscape, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park and the Rasa Island Wildlife Sanctuary, in the E-Nipas bill.
Hagedorn, however, said the inclusion of Palawan’s critical areas “was strongly opposed by Palawan Gov. Jose Alvarez and his son, [National Unity Party Rep. Franz Joseph George] ‘Chikoy’ Alvarez [of Palawan].”
“Both Palawan Gov. Jose Alvarez and his son, Palawan Rep. Chikoy Alvarez have written the House leadership seeking the exclusion of the five Palawan areas,” Hagedorn said in an earlier statement.
The Alvarez camp, however, said that the Strategic Environmental Plan is enough to protect the said Palawan areas.
Because of these different positions, the 16th Congress has ended its sessions last Wednesday without approving the E-Nipas bill.
Last October, Hagedorn said he discovered that the House Committee Secretariat and Management Committee has amended on their own the report on proposed House Bill 6328, deleting five areas in Palawan from the list of PAs, contrary to what had been earlier approved by lawmaker-members of the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Hagedorn, meanwhile, said that, while he turned emotional in his privileged speech on Monday, he does not wish to pick up a fight with any of his colleagues over the issue and would, in fact, join other lawmakers in their efforts to have their environmentally-critical areas be included also in the PAs to be covered by the E-Nipas bill.
“To work for the environmental protect of endangered areas is not the sole responsibility of the lawmaker representing the district where that particular area is located. It is the morale responsibility of everyone—not only the congressmen—but everyone, to stand up for our environmental crusade,” Hagedorn said.
“As I stand up and fight for the environmental protection of my areas in Palawan, I will also stand up and fight for the environmental protection for all areas in the country and not join in their destruction,” Hagedorn said.
Earlier, Sen. Loren Legarda, principal sponsor of the E-Nipas bill in the Senate, has said the chamber’s version of measure was passed in July 2015.
“Through this measure local communities and stakeholders will be able to do more to participate in the management and protection of our forests, oceans, flora, fauna and the indigenous peoples that reside in these sanctuaries,” she said.
At present, there are 113 areas in the country declared as PAs. However, only 13 are covered by legislation as such under Republic Act 7586, otherwise known as the National Integrated Protected Areas System (Nipas Act).
Since 23 years have passed since the passage of the Nipas Act on June 1, 1992, it means that it took an average of one year and seven months for the Congress to enact legislation for each PA.
Legarda said she was pushing for the passage of the E-Nipas bill to actively help areas that remain underprotected, including open seas, coastal areas, wetlands and tropical forests.
The measure seeks to enhance conservation efforts for unique, rare and threatened species of plants and animals and their habitat, thus, ensuring the sustainable use of our natural resources and cultural diversity.