The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) supports the call of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the immediate enactment of a law that would advance the conservation and protection of the country’s wetlands.
Through lawyer Jacqueline Ann de Guia, CHR spokesperson, the CHR said that wetlands such as rivers, lakes, marshes and swamps, coastal, marine, and human-made wetlands, are essential to many forms of life.
“They comprise a wide range of ecosystems that support many species population, as well as providing ecological, hydrological, and other functions and services,” De Guia said.
“These functions include a critical role in moderating climate, as a big portion of the world’s soil carbon is stored in wetlands. This is a crucial factor towards maintaining long-term climate stability,” she said.
She pointed out that while there are existing laws with provisions that directly and indirectly promote the conservation of wetlands, there has been “no specific law that explicitly governs the conservation and protection of wetlands.”
She cited to existing bills at the House of Representatives -- a substitute bill titled, “An Act Institutionalizing the National Wetlands Conservation Policy,” and House Bill 7206 on the proposed “National Peatland and Peatland Resources Act.”
At the Senate, she said there is Senate Bill No. 2036 or the "National Wetlands Conservation Act” which was filed last February.
De Guia said: “Such proposed pieces of legislation will not only promote biodiversity and sustainability but are intricately linked to the realization of many human rights concerning environment, health, and livelihoods. Thus, the wetlands are a critical resource of great economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value, and the loss of which would be irreparable.”
As she expressed the urgency on the passage of a law on wetlands, De Guia stressed that the right to a healthy environment is a human right.
“But overall, the pursuit of conservation goals can contribute positively to the realization of many human rights, and the realization of rights can enable more effective conservation outcomes,” she said.
The CHR reminded the government that as early as 1994, the Philippines has been a Contracting Party to the Ramsar Convention which is the only international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands.
“As a Contracting Party, the State commits to adopt and implement laws, policies, and plans to promote the wise use of wetlands,” De Guia stressed.