Salimbangon: Malapascua Island never a timberland

CEBU, Philippines — The famous Malapascua Island in Daanbantayan was never a forest land when the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) declared in 1987 as timberland.

This was Cebu Fourth District Representative Janice Salimbangon’s explanation to her fellow lawmakers in defending House Bill No. 5731 which seeks to rationalize the management of the natural resources in the island to pave the way for development.

“Time immemorial the island of Malapascua has been inhabited and the island was and still is very much suitable for living and in reality, it is not a forest land,” said Salimbangon.

Also known as Barangay Logon, the main industry in the island is tourism with diving as its main pull because of the Monad Shoal, a unique dive site due to the presence of thresher sharks.

Even during the time of her husband, former congressman Benhur Salimbangon, who served 12 years in Congress, it has been their main effort to develop the island into a tourism destination.

“To do so, the government must aggressively take the necessary steps to attract private individuals and entities willing to pour investments to provide the services needed thus the need to rationalize the management of certain lands,” the congresswoman said.

She said the government must give the people in the island the security to own their parcel of lands which have been theirs long before the declaration of the island as timberland.

Salimbangon explained that the rationalization of the management of certain lands in Malapascua Island from timberland to agricultural, commercial, residential, industrial, and for other similar productive purposes must be the government’s initiative to answer the needs of the time.

“Considering the magnificence and the rich local heritage of the island, tej government’s affirmative stance in reclassifying these areas will definitely contribute much to the success of the tourism industry not only in the island of Malapascua but to the entire country as well,” Salimbangon explained.

She added that economic development will definitely increase which will also pave the creation of significant number of jobs.

Salimbangon stressed that the areas outside the agricultural lands shall be declared protected area under Republic Act No. 11038, also known as the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018. (FREEMAN)