Swift OK of bill to expand protected areas urged

Sen. Loren Legarda. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Sen. Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate committee on environment and natural resources, called Thursday for the speedy passage of a bill that sought to establish a system of protected areas to ensure sustainable use of the country’s natural resources.

In her sponsorship speech of Senate Bill No. 2712 under Committee Report No. 117, or the proposed Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2015, Legarda said the proposed measure was necessary to protect and preserve the country’s rich biodiversity.

“For too long, we have taken our natural resources for granted. Our forests, our oceans and our mineral deposits have come under such intense human pressure that our biodiversity and whole ecosystem are now under threat,” she said.