Villar welcomes passage of bill on protection of Wetland Park

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Cynthia Villar has welcomed the passage on third and final reading of a bill seeking better protection for the Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park (LPPWP), an internationally recognized “Wetland of International Importance” and the only remaining viable wetland ecosystem in Metro Manila.

Voting 21-0, the Senate approved Senate Bill 1536 or the LPPWP Protection Act last Monday.

The bill seeks a three-kilometer seaward expansion of the wetland from its current shoreline boundary to ensure that the ecological integrity of both its land and water is well-preserved, managed and protected from the impact of urbanization, Villar said.

The bill seeks to amend Republic Act 11038 or the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act (ENIPAS), expanding the coverage of LPPWP.

Villar, chairperson of the committee on environment, natural resources and climate change, said that with the bill’s unanimous approval, senators have fulfilled their patriotic duty and global commitments under the Ramsar Convention, the World Heritage Convention, the Convention on Migratory Species and the ASEAN Agreement on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, among others.

The mangrove forest will protect Las Piñas and Parañaque from disasters, as well as provide the fingerlings necessary to support the livelihood of 300,000 members of the fisherfolk community around Manila Bay and contribute to food security for Metro Manila residents.

“With the buffer zone expansion provided by the bill, the LPPWP will be better conserved and more ecosystems can be conserved with a buffer zone that will broaden the scope of protection, ensure the integrity of its ecosystems and ensure the free flow of water coming from four rivers, Parañaque River of Parañaque, Las Piñas and Zapote Rivers of Las Piñas and Molino River of Bacoor which are connected with each other,” she said.

In its present state, the LPPWP is composed of shallow waters, tidal marshes, mudflats and mangrove swamp forests, which host at least 5,000 individual or 159 species of migratory and local birds, 23 species of mangroves, commercially important fish species and mollusks.

Water birds threatened with extinction include the Philippine Duck, the Chinese Egret and the Black Winged Stilt.