NextGen Day

The House Committee on Natural Resources swiftly and overwhelmingly approved House Bill No. 6373, also known as the Kalayaan Island Group and Scarborough Shoal – Marine Protected Area (KIGSS-MPA) Bill, which was mostly written by Palawan’s 3rd District Representative Edward Hagedorn.

“I applaud House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez for his steadfast backing and dedication to get the bill through. The gracious Speaker granted the bill top priority and for an immediate committee hearing to take place, according to a statement from Hagerdorn.

The Kalayaan Island Group, Scarborough Shoal, and a three-nautical-mile radius around them are intended to be designated as marine protected areas by House Bill No. 6373.

To protect the nation’s marine resources, once the measure is in place, specific acts and activities inside the waters of the mentioned area will be prohibited and punished.

to ensure marine habitat protection.

However, conventional fishing will continue to be permitted as it is generally thought to be safe for the marine ecosystem.

Elpidio F. Barzaga Jr., the representative for Cavite’s 4th District, was specifically commended by the Palawan legislator for “ably leading the hearing and for pushing for its approval.” The lawmaker also expressed gratitude to all of the other members of the House Committee on Natural Resources.

He also mentioned Rep. Jose Alvarez of Palawan’s 2nd District, a fellow Palaweno who vehemently demonstrated his support during the hearing.

But a very particular thank you must go to Representative Eduardo “Brother Eddie” Villanueva of the CIBAC Partylist, who spoke on my behalf as the bill’s sponsor at the hearing despite my absence. The fundamental essence of the bill was expertly presented and clarified to the body by him. His use of biblical verses “highlighted the fundamental and eternal significance of safeguarding our natural resources in the KIG and Scarborough Shoal,” according to Hagedorn’s statement.

Villanueva emphasized when introducing the proposed legislation that it is not intended to settle any territorial issues in the West Philippine Sea but rather to conserve the marine environments of the KIG and Scarborough Shoals.

He highlighted a 2019 research by the University of the Philippines’ Marine Science Institute that demonstrated how alleged unlawful operations like blast fishing had harmed the coral reefs in the Kalayaan Islands, notably in Pag-asa Island, Panata Island, and Sabina Shoal.

Villanueva was reported during the committee hearing as saying, “We cannot afford not to act since the habitat of marine life in our waters, which affects not only the Philippines but also surrounding countries like China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei, is being destroyed.”

After the former SC associate justice expressed his complete support for the bill, Hagedorn also referenced Antonio Carpio, a well-known proponent of the West Philippine Sea and retired Supreme Court (SC) justice.

Carpio, one of the nation’s foremost authorities on WPS issues, whose astute observations improved the bill’s key components.

Hagedorn also expressed appreciation to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of National Defense (DND), and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for their steadfast assistance.

“I sincerely believe that promoting environmental conservation for the KIG and Scarborough Shoal is a cause that may unite all Filipinos. We do hope that other coastal states bordering the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea will use this environmental lens in a similar way to encourage collaboration and environmental conservation for increased peace, stability, and prosperity for the entire area.

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