The Senate has passed on third and final reading bill seeking better protection of the Las Piñas Parañaque Wetland Park (LPPWP), an internationally recognized Wetland of International Importance, and the only remaining viable wetland ecosystem in Metro Manila.

Senate Bill No. 1536 or the LPPWP Protection got 21 votes with zero negative votes and zero abstention was approved on Monday, January 27.

Sen. Cynthia A. Villar welcomed the Senate’s approval of the measure which primarily seeks to amend Republic Act 11038 or the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act (ENIPAS), expanding the coverage of LPPWP.

The bill, Villar said, primarily seeks a 3-kilometer seaward expansion from its current shoreline boundary to ensure that the ecological integrity of both its land and water is well-preserved and managed and safeguard said biodiversity critical areas from the tensions of development.

“With the buffer zone expansion provided by the bill, the LPPWP will be better conserved and more ecosystems can be conserved with a buffer zone that will broaden the scope of protection, ensure the integrity of its ecosystems, and ensure the free flow of water coming from 4 rivers, Parañaque River of Parañaque, Las Piñas and Zapote Rivers of Las Piñas, and Molino River of Bacoor which are connected with each other,” said Villar, sponsor of SB 1536.

Villar, chairperson of the Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Change, said with the bill’s unanimous approval, senators take on their patriotic as well as their global duty to ensure that all steps were taken to fulfill international commitments under the Ramsar Convention, the World Heritage Convention, the Convention on Migratory Species and the ASEAN Agreement on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, among others.

According to Villar, the mangrove forest will protect Las Piñas and Parañaque from disasters, provide the fingerlings necessary to support the livelihood of 300,000 members of the fisherfolk community in Manila Bay, and contribute to food security for Metro Manila residents.

In its present state, the LPPWP is composed of shallow waters, tidal marshes, mudflats, and mangrove swamp forests. The various ecosystems within host at least 5,000 individuals of about 159 species of migratory and resident birds, 23 species of true and associate mangroves, several economically important fish species, and mollusks.

The Waterbirds include those threatened with extinction such as the Philippine Duck, the Chinese Egret, and the Black Winged Stilt.