Bantayanons want wilderness tag lifted

CEBU, Philippines —  While Bantayan Island is now part of the 94 islands recently declared as protected areas in the Philippines that covers about 3.5 million hectares, residents are asking that its wilderness area category be lifted.

Fourth District Representative Benhur Salimbangon said the House of Representatives has already approved the lifting of the wilderness protected zone area tagging of Bantayan Island.

Lifting the wilderness area category would mean that Bantayan residents would already be able to have their lands titled.

“Kay kinsa man tawn nga boang nga bangko ang modawat og yuta kung iprenda nila nga walay titulo? Diba? Ang nakanindot niini kung ma-lift na ang wilderness mao ang mga lumolupyo dinhi nga nagplanong mag negosyo, pwede na nila maprenda ilang mga yuta sa bangko kung gusto silag capital. Usa lang na sa mga benipisyo nga makuha sa mga nagpuyo sa Bantayan. Ug labaw sa tanan, ang mga lungsod dinhi maoy mas molambo pa tungod sa mga tax dinhi,” Salimbangon said.

Under Proclamation 2151 of former president Ferdinand Marcos, the whole of Bantayan Island was tagged as a wilderness area wherein land titling is not allowed.

In fact, during the 2013 Typhoon Yolanda calamity, reconstruction was limited because international relief organizations are reluctant to fund reconstruction on lands that do not have titles.

Salimbangon said they need a separate bill in the upper chamber and they are looking at Senator Cynthia Villar, who heads the Senate’s committee on environment, for support.

Villar, who vowed to lobby and support the move, said that it would also be a challenge on their end at the Senate as they are not focused on discussing the national budget and they would go on vacation after.

Villar added that the same attempt was done before but it failed because of an absence of a general management plan (GMP).

Salimbangon said that Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino is coordinating with former DENR secretary Gina Lopez who had submitted a GMP which was already approved.

Representative Gwen Garcia also pledged she would also help in the lifting of the wilderness category, when she reclaims Cebu’s gubernatorial post.

Bantayan Mayor Ian Christopher Escario said they are hopeful that the wilderness area tagging would soon be lifted.

Villar said that she is happy that Bantayan has been included in the recently declared protected areas.

"Our natural resources are irreplaceable and are not that easy to replenish. As such, we need to really work hard and work together to protect them. One of those protections is the passage of ENIPAS law,” she said.

The Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (ENIPAS) law provides a guide in formulating individual plans for each of the protected areas and mandates the creation of a Protected Area Management Plan for each of the 97 areas, which will be executed by a Protected Area Management Board composed of local government units, environment officials, indigenous peoples representatives, academe, and civil society.

Philippines now has a total of 107 protected areas.

"Every day that passes by really counts. The consequence is serious as biodiversity is a central aspect of our existence. As such, we have to ensure the fast and efficient implementation of the ENIPAS Act," Villar said.

Villar added that she is looking forward to the drafting of the Implementing Rules and Regulation by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

"Let us vigilantly protect our country’s rich biodiversity, which is a source of pride and joy for all of us Filipinos. We have to ensure that the future generation of Filipinos will also have the opportunity to take pride and find joy in our country’s rich biodiversity," the senator added. — Jaypee Lao, Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon, GAN (FREEMAN)