House OKs 10 bills declaring ecotourism sites, tourist destinations
At A Glance
- The House of Representatives approved on third and final reading several measures seeking to declare 10 places in the country as ecotourism sites and tourist destinations.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
The House of Representatives approved on third and final reading several measures seeking to declare 10 places in the country as ecotourism sites and tourist destinations.
During the plenary session on Wednesday, Dec. 11, the lower chamber approved House Bill (HB) Nos. 11105, 11107, and 11126, which declared as tourism destinations the immediate vicinity of the Nuestra Señora de Salvacion Church, as well as the Batag Lighthouse and Onay Beach.
The three tourist attractions are all located in Laoang, Northern Samar.
The House also approved HB No. 11106, which sought to establish Pinipisakan Falls in Las Navas, in the same province as a tourism destination.
Under Republic Act (RA) No. 9593, or the Tourism Act of 2009, classifying places as tourism destinations establish a stronger framework toward further development of these areas.
Meanwhile, HB Nos. 10637, 11109, and 11128 seek to declare Binadlan Falls (Binalbagan, Negros Occidental), the Sineguelasan Mangroves Park (Bacoor, Cavite), and Barangay Rubas (Jaro, Leyte) as ecotourism destinations, respectively.
As indicated in RA No. 9593, the declaration of ecotourism sites aligns with the goal of developing responsible tourism in the Philippines, such as promoting environmental understanding and education.
Also approved on final reading were HB Nos. 11110 and 11129, which aimed to declare Sitio Timoga in Iligan, Lanao del Norte and the Hundred Islands National Park in Pangasinan as tourism zones.
Under these bills, the respective local government shall prepare tourism development plans, in coordination with the Departments of Tourism (DOT), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and other concerned agencies, to enhance tourism in these areas.
The 300-plus-strong chamber also gave its final nod to HB No. 11125, which aimed to revise the technical descriptions of foreshore land areas within the Balanga Wetland and Nature Park (BWNP) Ecotourism Zone in Balanga, Bataan.