TO THE CHAMPION OF THE ENVIRONMENT, PROTECTED AREAS, AND ECOTOURISM, DEPUTY SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND SENATOR-ELECT, HONORABLE LOREN LEGARDA; MY PARTNERS, SECRETARY OF TOURISM, MS. BERNADETTE ROMULO-PUYAT, AND SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT, MR. EDUARDO AÑO.

UNDP PHILIPPINES RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE, MR. SELVA RAMACHANDRAN, DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, GOOD MORNING TO YOU ALL.

WELCOME TO THE LAUNCHING OF THE YEAR OF THE PROTECTED AREAS CAMPAIGN!
NINETY YEARS AGO, THE NATIONAL PARK ACT OR RA 3915 WAS ENACTED. THIS LAW FORMALLY ESTABLISHED THE NATIONAL PARKS SYSTEM IN OUR COUNTRY. MT. ARAYAT BECAME OUR FIRST NATIONAL PARK ON JUNE 27, 1933 UNDER THIS LAW.

TODAY, WE CELEBRATE THE 90 YEARS OF BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN THE PHILIPPINES THROUGH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PROTECTED AREAS.

THE PROTECTED AREAS, NATIONAL PARKS, OR WILD SPACES ARE ESSENTIAL TO THE SURVIVAL OF HUMANITY BECAUSE THEY SERVE AS CRITICAL HABITATS FOR WILD ANIMALS AND PLANTS.

PROTECTED AREAS PREVENT THE SPREAD OF DISEASES, IF LEFT UNDISTURBED. INTRUSIONS INTO PROTECTED AREAS INCREASE THE CHANCES OF WILDLIFE COMING INTO CONTACT WITH HUMAN BEINGS, THEREBY ALLOWING THE SPREAD OF ZOONOTIC DISEASES SUCH AS COVID-19 AMONG PEOPLE.

PROTECTED AREAS PROVIDE LIVELIHOOD TO THE COMMUNITIES THAT ACT AS STEWARDS OF CONSERVATION. SEVERAL WORLD-RENOWNED TOURIST DESTINATIONS THAT ARE PROTECTED AREAS ATTRACT NUMBERS OF VISITORS, BRINGING INCOME TO THE PEOPLE’S ORGANIZATIONS, INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, AND OTHER CONSERVATION COMMUNITIES IN THEIR VICINITIES, MAKING THEM MAJOR ECOTOURISM ASSETS. NOT TO MENTION, ITS VALUE FOR POTENTIAL SOURCE OF MEDICINES. THE ILOSONE, FOR EXAMPLE, WHICH WAS DISCOVERED IN THE PHILIPPINES, CAME FROM A PROTECTED AREA.

LOCAL EXAMPLES ARE OUR TUBBATAHA REEFS NATURAL PARK AND APO REEF NATURAL PARK, BOTH UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES. WE ALSO HAVE MT. APO NATURAL PARK, AN ASEAN HERITAGE PARK THAT IS HOME TO THE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED PHILIPPINE EAGLE.

THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN THE PHILIPPINES IS ESTIMATED AT APPROXIMATELY 2.3 TRILLION PESOS ANNUALLY OR ABOUT 46 BILLION US DOLLARS, AND PROTECTED AREAS ARE COMING AS CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS.

PROTECTED AREAS ARE OUR LIFELINE. MAJESTIC TREES AND HEALTHY FORESTS, CLEAN WATERS FROM RIVERS AND OCEANS, THICK MANGROVE FORESTS AND COLORFUL CORALS, PROVIDE US WITH CLEAN WATER FOR DRINKING, FOOD SUSTENANCE, UNPOLLUTED AIR FOR BREATHING AND PROTECTING FROM CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS SUCH AS EXTREME WEATHER, STORM SURGE AND LANDSLIDES.

DESPITE THESE BENEFITS, OUR PROTECTED AREAS REMAIN AT RISK FROM MAJOR THREATS SUCH AS INTRUSIVE DEVELOPMENT, POLLUTION, INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES, AND INTERRUPTED WILDLIFE MIGRATION CORRIDOR, COMPOUNDED BY THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.

TO ADDRESS THESE THREATS, THE DENR THROUGH ITS BIODIVERSITY MANAGEMENT BUREAU, IS IMPLEMENTING THE PROTECTED AREA DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT PROGRAM. THIS PROGRAM COVERS THE MAIN IN-SITU MEASURES TO CONSERVE BIODIVERSITY, PURSUANT TO THE REPUBLIC ACT 7586 OR NATIONAL INTEGRATED PROTECTED AREAS SYSTEM (NIPAS) ACT OF 1992. AS AMENDED BY RA 11038 OR THE EXPANDED NATIONAL INTEGRATED PROTECTED AREAS SYSTEM (ENIPAS) OF 2018 THANKS TO MA’AM LOREN, THE GUARDIAN OF PROTECTED AREAS IN CONGRESS.

THIS RATIONALIZES THE COVERAGE OF THE NIPAS BY MAINTAINING, PRIORITIZING THOSE WITH HIGH BIODIVERSITY VALUES, WHILE PROVIDING APPROPRIATE GOVERNANCE, REGIMES FOR THE PROTECTION OF KEY BIODIVERSITY AREAS THROUGH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF LOCAL CONSERVATION AREAS WITH THE LGUS CONCERNED AND INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY CONSERVATION AREAS.

WE ARE HAPPY TO REPORT THAT WE NOW HAVE 246 LEGISLATED PROTECTED AREAS THAT ARE RECEIVING REGULAR GOVERNMENT BUDGET TO SUSTAIN THEIR CONSERVATION PROGRAM AND OPERATIONS.

ALSO 178 PEOPLE’S ORGANIZATIONS ARE DUE TO BE RECOGNIZED AND EMPOWERED IN THE NEXT FOUR YEARS TO MANAGE THEIR OWN BIODIVERSITY-FRIENDLY ENTERPRISES SUCH AS FOOD PROCESSING, HANDICRAFTS, ECOTOURISM AND AQUACULTURE.

WE ARE ALSO WORKING HAND-IN-HAND WITH THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS LIKE THE UNDP (UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME) AND USAID (UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT) WHOSE UNWAVERING SUPPORT HAS BEEN INVALUABLE TO ENSURE THAT OUR PROTECTED AREAS ARE MANAGED SUSTAINABLY.

TO VIABLY BENEFIT FROM OUR PROTECTED AREAS WE ALL NEED TO WORK TOGETHER. THIS IS WHY I AM VERY GRATEFUL TO SECRETARY BERNADETTE ROMULO-PUYAT AND THE WHOLE OF DOT (DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM), AS WELL AS SECRETARY EDUARDO AÑO AND THE WHOLE OF DILG (DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT) FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND PARTNERSHIP IN THIS YEAR OF THE PROTECTED AREAS CAMPAIGN.

AT THIS POINT, I PLEDGE TO DO MY BEST, TO HAVE THE PENDING PROPOSED PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION DECLARE THE YEAR OF THE PROTECTED AREAS CAMPAIGN AND JUNE OF EACH YEAR AS MONTH OF THE PROTECTED AREAS APPROVED BY PRESIDENT RODRIGO DUTERTE. THIS IS NOW WITH THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT AND WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS SINCE 2019.

THIS IS MY PLEDGE TO PROTECT OUR PROTECTED AREAS. NOW, MAY I REQUEST ALL OF YOU TO STATE YOUR INDIVIDUAL PLEDGES TO PROTECT OUR PROTECTED AREAS. THIS WAY, WE HELP SECURE OUR PROTECTED AREAS FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.