TACLOBAN CITY – Sen. Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, has filed a bill declaring Panaon Island in Southern Leyte as a protected seascape under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act or Republic Act 11038.

In filing Senate Bill 1690 titled the Panaon Island Protected Seascape Act of 2023, Villar emphasized that despite the presence of extensive coral reefs and vibrant fish communities, the abundance and biomass of commercially important species show signs of overfishing and other anthropogenic threats.

Panaon Island was identified as part of the 50 priority reefs in the world that will highly likely withstand the devastating impacts of climate change.

The island is exposed to tropical cyclones and nine of the average 20 that hit the country each year pass the area.

The same effort to protect the seascape of the island is ongoing as Southern Leyte Reps. Christopherson Yap’s and Rep. Luz Mercado’s House Bill 4095 and HB 3743, respectively, are being consolidated into one measure.

The bill now pending at the House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources outlines the parameters of the protected seascape’s coverage in the municipalities of Liloan, San Francisco, Pintuyan, and San Ricardo.

It also includes the mechanisms for administration, the prohibited acts and penalties, and the funding requirements to sustain its protection.

Lawyer Gloria Ramos, vice president of Oceana, an international advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the world’s oceans, said the bill is a formidable boost in the campaign for the protection of Panaon Island.

"We are grateful to Sen. Villar and the district representatives of Southern Leyte for their urgents action fully supported by the provincial government, the four municipalities, and their constituents, and even by the Fisheries Management Area 8 Management Body,” Ramos said.