Sen. Cynthia A. Villar has rallied behind this year World Wetlands Celebration’s call to take action for wetlands and appeal to invest financial, human and political capital to save wetlands from disappearing and to restore those that have been degraded.
During the celebration in Las Pinas Parañaque Wetland Park (LPPWP) on Feb. 22, Villar also noted that the United Nations encourages the annual celebration to raise public consciousness on wetlands, which are critically important ecosystems contributing to biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, freshwater availability and to economies.
She thanked the LPPWP- Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) and its partners, the Society for the Conservation of Philippine Wetlands (SCPW), the Asean Center for Biodiversity (ACB) and the Philippine Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, for their active participation in this event.
According to the senator, the 2016 Atlas of Philippine Inland Wetlands and Classified Caves has put the number at 314 inland wetlands and 2,487 river systems. Out of these, 314 wetlands are 221 lakes, 12 marshes and swamps, 9 peat lands, 39 water storage, and 31 ponds.
However, she lamented that some people, even those in our government, do not fully recognize and appreciate the significance of wetlands.
“And what is even worse is that there are even people within the DENR who should know the significance of wetlands, yet have chosen to be ignorant of it,” stressed Villar.
She specifically cited LPPWP which has always been endangered despite being established a critical habitat, declared a Wetland of International Importance and legislated a protected area under the Expanded NIPAS Act in 2018.
She said LPPWP has been constantly exposed to the threat of being destroyed due to various reclamation projects in Parañaque and Cavite.
She also took potshots at the DENR- Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) for issuing Environmental Clearance Certificates to these reclamation projects.
“This is just one of the sad realities we are confronted with in defending this piece of wetland and we have been through tougher times along the way,” added the senator who has been involved in the conservation of the wetland park for two decades now.
