An official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) last Sunday lauded the committee on natural resources of the House of Representatives for approving the consolidated bill that seeks to expand the coverage and give more teeth to the National Integrated Protected Areas System (Nipas) Act of 1992.
In a telephone interview, Director Theresa Mundita S. Lim of the DENR’s Biodiversity Management Bureau said the passage of the Expanded-Nipas (E-Nipas) bill, which will impose stiffer penalties and higher fines, will deter environmental crimes, aside from increasing by 94 the number of protected areas (PAs) backed by legislative measure.
Fines ranging from P50,000 to P5 million and imprisonment of one to 12 years are the proposed penalties to amend the old law that prescribes fines of P5,000 to P500,000 and imprisonment of one to six years.
To ensure stronger protection of areas under Nipas, it should be backed by legislative measure, Lim said. This will also ensure funding for the PAs’ rehabilitation, development and protection, particularly against mining, logging, wildlife trafficking and other destructive human activities, including treasure hunting and bioprospecting.
The official urged members of the House of Representatives to pass its version of the bill to increase areas covered by PAs that are backed by legislation, noting that the Senate has already passed its version in Senate Bill 2712, which declares 97 natural parks, protected landscapes or seascapes and reserves as PAs.
The E-Nipas measure, if signed into law, will be a big boost to the current thrust of the Duterte administration to protect the environment, as well as DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu’s policy pronouncement to conserve the country’s rich biodiversity.
Cimatu recently urged biodiversity integration in mining operations, underscoring the country’s rich biodiversity and warned mining companies to strictly follow mining and environmental laws or face sanctions.