FPJ Panday Bayanihan Party-List Rep. Brian Poe has pitched in a privilege speech Wednesday, Nov. 12 the so-called "National 30×30 Roadmap", which is a blueprint for the protection of 30 percent of the country’s land and seas by the year 2030.

Poe came up with this proposal even as the Philippines continued to reel from the effects of back-to-back typhoons "Tino" and "Uwan". He said these twin tragedies left hundreds dead and millions displaced.

Aa such, the "House Hotshots" member urged Congress and national agencies to treat environmental protection as a matter of national survival and not just conservation.

“Protecting nature is protecting ourselves,” said Poe. He says ecosystems such as mangroves, forests, and watersheds are the country’s first line of defense against worsening climate disasters.

The Pangasinan-based lawmaker’s speech during Wednesday's plenary session coincides with the filing of his House resolution urging the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to complete and publish the National 30×30 Roadmap within six months.

The measure seeks to institutionalize biodiversity protection by setting concrete national targets for land, inland waters, and marine ecosystems, identifying priority conservation areas, and establishing transparent governance, financing, and monitoring systems.

Poe cited data from the DENR’s Biodiversity Management Bureau, which showed that only 15.51 percent of the country’s land and 1.42 percent of marine waters are currently under legal protection — figures that place the Philippines far behind its 2030 goals.

He said this shortfall demands urgent government action and sustained funding to protect critical ecosystems such as the Verde Island Passage, Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape, and Benham Rise.

The resolution also calls for the empowering of indigenous communities and local stakeholders as co-guardians of biodiversity, securing long-term financing through public-private partnerships and innovative instruments such as blue-carbon credits, and integrating nature-based defenses like mangrove reforestation and watershed rehabilitation into the national adaptation strategy.

Poe, who holds a Master’s degree in Climate and Society from Columbia University, says his advocacy for the 30×30 framework is rooted in both science and compassion. He also highlighted FPJ Panday Bayanihan’s decade-long record of disaster response — from Typhoon "Yolanda" to "Odette" — as a testament to the Filipino spirit of bayanihan and resilience.

He commended the DENR and its Biodiversity Management Bureau for initiating the 30×30 process and aligning the country’s efforts with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework through the Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (PBSAP) 2024–2040.

Despite this, he called for stronger institutionalization and legislative oversight.

“Protecting 30 percent of our land and seas is not just a bureaucratic target — it is a moral and practical imperative,” Poe said.

“When the next typhoon strikes, we should not stand helpless as entire towns vanish beneath the waves. We must act now to build a resilient Philippines that thrives amid change,” he concluded.