A Senate resolution was filed Tuesday requesting the appropriate committee to investigate reports of alleged exploitation or defacement of protected areas, like the Upper Marikina River Basin in Rizal province, Siargao Island, Bohol, and the Mt. Apo Natural Park.

Senator Cynthia Villar, who chairs the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, expressed concern that there might be more unreported violations and exploitation in other protected areas, leading to their degradation.

“It is noteworthy that the Philippines has a total of 248 protected areas, of which 114 have been formally legislated, and there is concern that these areas may not be receiving the necessary level of protection to preserve their integrity as protected areas,” she said in her resolution.

On Monday, Senator JV Ejercito also called for a probe into the conditions of the protected areas.

A resort was recently found operating within Bohol province’s Chocolate Hills, a world heritage site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and declared a protected area in 1997.

While policies, laws, and regulations for the protected areas were already established, Villar said there also appears to be a deficiency in their implementation.

“It is deemed essential to examine the management practices, the issuance of tenurial agreements, and the adequacy or absence of protection mechanisms provided to each of the country’s protected areas, to ensure that the original intentions and wise foresight in their establishment are not undermined, thereby securing a sustainable future for the present and future generations,” she said.

Last year, Villar recalled that the occupation and unauthorized constructions of the Socorro Bayanihan Services Inc. within the Siargao Island Protected Landscape and Seascape was and flagged by the Senate.

Villar also seeks an update on the reports of violations of environmental laws in the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape which allegedly started in 2020.

After the senators received a report on resorts and other establishments built within the Chocolate Hills Natural Monument in Bohol, Senator Raffy Tulfo also delivered a privilege speech raising his concern on the presence of illegal structures and alleged illegal activities in Mt. Apo Natural Park in Davao. (PNA)

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