The House committee on natural resources has approved a proposed new law that seeks to impose heavier penalties on the exploitation and abuse of wildlife.
The proposal, endorsed by the committee led by Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., is a consolidation of five bills authored by deputy speaker and Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and Reps. Josephine Sato of Occidental Mindoro, Juan Miguel Arroyo of Pampanga, Luis Raymund Villafuerte of Camarines Sur and Alfred Vargas of Quezon City.
The consolidated bill calls for the conservation and protection of wildlife resources and their habitats and the imposition of penalties for violations.
It would replace Republic Act 9147, enacted in 2001 during the administration of Arroyo’s mother, former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
“I am happy because of the penalties. We are prescribing longer prison terms and higher fines for those who abuse our wildlife, especially endangered species,” Rodriguez said.
He says the country has a diverse variety of wildlife, including the famous Philippine tarsier, tamaraw and Philippine eagle.
“There are 133 terrestrial mammals, 230 birds, 244 reptiles and 97 amphibian species and 120 fishes that can be found only here,” he said.
Barzaga said the nation’s flora and fauna and their habitats “should be protected from overexploitation, destruction, fragmentation, culling, poaching, hunting, pollution and climate change for us and for future generations as well.”
He added that the existing law “has to be updated, improved and strengthened to meet and address the demands and problems we have today.”
Under the consolidated bill, the imposable penalties for serious offenses such as the illegal killing of wildlife are imprisonment of 12 years and one day to 20 years and a fine of P200,000 to P2 million.
The minimum punishment for minor infractions is a prison term of one month and one day plus a fine of P20,000.
Under the existing law, the maximum penalties are imprisonment of six years and one day to 12 years, plus a fine of P100,000 to P2 million.