July 22, 2024
Envi groups call on President Marcos Jr. to declare coastal greenbelt and mangroves protection a priority bill
Topics: Restore Mangrove Forests
International marine protection group Oceana, scientific experts, youth and other civil society groups voice their appeal to President Ferdinand Maros Jr. to include in his State of the Nation Address the need for Congress to pass with urgency the National Coastal Greenbelt bill.
A coastal greenbelt is a 100-meter band of mangroves and beach forests along the coast aimed at reducing the intensity of storm surges and strong waves during super typhoons and storms. Mangroves have the capacity to absorb carbon emission four to five times greater than land forests. (Alongi, 2022)
“We are alarmed by the continuous decimation of mangroves on the coastal areas to make way for infrastructure projects, fishponds, and other so-called economic activities, grossly disregarding the protection that mangrove forest areas cause to coastal communities, and the food and livelihood security that this important natural life support system brings to them,” said Oceana Vice President in the Philippines Atty. Gloria Estenzo Ramos.
Oceana aired the alarm on the decline of mangroves by 30-50% over the past 50 years due to coastal infrastructure projects, aquaculture expansion and overharvesting during the launch of the photo exhibit, “Our Coastal Greenbelts, Our National Treasure” at the National Museum of Natural History in Manila on July 16.
Sen. Cynthia Villar, Chair of the Senate Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources, led the ceremonial cutting of ribbon of the exhibit, along with representatives of the different government agencies, and Congress. Villar, one of the authors of the proposed Senate bill, names the reasons for the necessity of having an efficient coastal greenbelt plan: biodiversity conservation that protects the marine ecosystems from threats like overfishing; sustainable livelihood for the coastal communities; climate change resilience; and economic development through tourism.
Rep. Edgar Chatto of the 1st District of Bohol and the Chair of the Committee on Climate Change that led the passage of its counterpart bill in the House of Representatives, expressed his “fervent hope that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. include the integrated coastal management bill or the national coastal greenbelt bill that is now pending in the Senate among his administration’s priority legislation.”
Secretary Jaime Bautista, Department of Transportation, said that effective mangrove conservation requires collaboration among environmental agencies, local communities, and other
stakeholders. “This collaborative approach ensures that transport development aligns with environmental stewardship.”
Even as Congress is poised to pass the National Greenbelt Action Plan (or NCGAP, as incorporated in the Integrated Coastal Management Bill), another government agency is pre-empting it. For the past two years, social media has been reporting that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has been building four-lane National Coastal Roads, particularly in Davao and Sorsogon City.
Dr. Jurgenne H. Primavera, Chief Mangrove Scientific Advisor of the Zoological Society of London, aired her concerns about this development: “Not only has thick concrete replaced existing mangroves, but it will also prevent the growth of young seedlings in degraded mangrove areas. Yet Rep. Act 7161 (Internal Revenue Code) and other laws confer protection on mangroves and prohibit their cutting. Therefore, there is urgent need for environmental government agencies and non-government organizations to call out this anti-mangrove, anti-environment Coastal Highway program of the DPWH for violation of such legislation and to inquire if an Environmental Impact Assessment has been made. “
Dr. Primavera, who scientifically curated the coastal mangroves photo exhibit at the National Museum, began her coastal greenbelt advocacy 31 years ago with a paper published in the journal Reviews in Fisheries Science in 1993. This advocacy found an ideal platform in the wake of Haiyan, the strongest storm in history to make landfall, causing thousands of deaths and billions of pesos in damage. In 2014, Sen. Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV sponsored a Coastal Greenbelt Bill which was crafted by Dr. Primavera and her NGO colleagues. The Bill mandated a 100-m wide band of protective coastal vegetation based on scientific conclusions that it would absorb up to 60% of wave energy from storms and reduce loss of lives and damage to property. Since then, the Bill has been incorporated in the Integrated Coastal Management Bill passed by the Lower House and is due for approval by the Senate.
Oceana’s report says that 91 local government units have established local coastal greenbelt zones in their town. Additionally, partnerships between local governments and the private sector have been forged, showing increasing support for this kind of initiative.
Also participating in the exhibit launch were Senator Francis Tolentino, represented by Atty. Celeste Tolentino; Department of the Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Odilon Pasaraba; Cong. Undersecretary Atty. Ernesto Adobo, Jr., Department of Environment and Natural Resources ; Jose Manuel Alba, 1st District of Bukidnon; Cong. Anna Veloso-Tuazon, 3rd District of Leyte; Dr. Noemi Lanzuela, Regional Director, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, NCR; Province of Negros Occidental’s Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer, Atty. Julie Bedrio; CG COMMO Geoffrey G Espaldon of Marine Science Investigation Force; Acting Commander CG Capt, Oliver Sy Tanseco of Coast Guard Legislative Liaison Affairs, Philippine Coast Guard Deputy Director-General Jorell Legaspi, National Museum of the Philippines; First Vice President Norieva de Vega, Sigma Delta Phil Alumni Association; Dr. Annadel Cabanban, Global Mangrove Alliance; Mark Roy L. Boado, President, National Eagle Scouts of the Philippines; Maria Theresa Villa, Environment Science and Technology Health Specialist, Economic Section, US Embassy; and Tasha Tanjutco, Co-founder, Kids4Kids.
The photo exhibit that runs from July 16 to August 2 was made possible through the partnership among the offices of Senator Cynthia Villar, Rep. Edgar Chatto, Department of the Interior and Local Government, National Museum of the Philippines, Province of Negros Occidental, Eagle Scouts of the Philippines, Boy Scout of the Philippines – National Capital Region, Sigma Delta Phi Alumni Association, Global Mangrove Alliance, Zoological Society of London, and Oceana.
For More Information:
Joyce Sierra, Communications Manager, Oceana
Mobile: 09178214430 E-mail: jsierra@oceana.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/oceana.philippines
Twitter: @oceana_ph Instagram: @oceana_ph
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