Sen. Cynthia A. Villar filed a bill seeking to declare the Mulanay Watershed Forest Reserve (MWFR) as a “Protected Area” (PA).
In filing Senate Bill No. 1691 Villar, chairperson of the Senate committee on environment and natural resources cited the richness of the MWFR’s biological resources, both flora and fauna.
Villar added that the MWFR should be a PA due to its rich and lush forest vegetation that serves as habitat of various wildlife, including threatened flora and fauna species.
The MWFR has a total area of 29.6 hectares. Its rich biodiversity of flora and fauna include those in the updated national lists of threatened Philippine plants and animals and their respective categories.
The Biodiversity Monitoring System Report identified 83 floral species and 59 faunal species in the area. The are also has 3 flora and 2 fauna species which were classified as endangered.
Villar also said that the MWFR provides a clean source of water for the people that can be used domestically and agriculturally.
In 2021, she related that the MWFR was subjected by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to the Protected Area Suitability Assessment (PASA) to determine its suitability to be legislated as a protected area under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act.
Through the PASA, it was determined the MWFR is suitable to be declared a PA under the category of Protected Landscape. It was then renamed as “San Francisco Protected Landscape” through legislation.
“As such, the State shall ensure the conservation, protection, management and rehabilitation of the area. It is likewise recognized that effective administration of this area is possible only through cooperation among the National Government, LGUs), concerned NGOs), private entities and local communities,” Villar said.
