The House of Representatives is scheduled to approve two measures declaring Mayon Volcano Natural Park in Albay province and the Pasonanca Natural Park in Zamboanga City as protected areas.
House Bill No. 6394, authored by Rep. Fernando Gonzales of Albay, and HB No. 6449 by Zamboanga Rep. Celso Lobregat, seek to declare it the policy of the State to ensure the protection and conservation of the Mayon Park and Pasonanca Park, respectively.
The Mayon Volcano Natural Park is located in the Cities of Tabaco, Legazpi and Lagao and in the Municipalities of Malilipot, Sto. Domingo, Daraga, Camalig, and Guinobatan in Albay.
The Pasonanca Natural Park is located in Zamboanga City and covers a total area of 10,102.08 hectares.
The bills also prohibit vandalism such as mutilating, transporting, destroying, excavating or in any manner damaging any natural formation or object of natural beauty inside the said parks, including the removal, destruction and alteration of boundary markers and signs.
The two bills require clearance and permits for bioprospecting in the two parks to be obtained from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Protected Area Management Board
Both bills designate the PAMB as administrator of the parks and prohibit hunting, collecting, catching, wounding, killing, destroying or possessing within the park or its buffer zone species of plants or animals or their by-products or derivatives, or transporting of these plants and animal species without prior approval of the PAMB.