Press Release
March 14, 2014

Villar leads celebration of the 1st Anniversary of the declaration
of LPPCHEA as World's Most Important Wetland

SENATOR Cynthia A. Villar will lead today's observance of the 1st Anniversary of the Declaration of Las Piñas-Paranaque Critical Habitat Eco-Tourism Area (LPPCHEA) as one of the world's most important wetlands in the world.

LPPCHEA was included in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance, along with world-renowned along with Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park in Sulu and the Underground River in Palawan.

The celebration will kick off with the cleaning of the shorelines of the stretch of Manila Bay in LPPCHEA.

Students from STI Computer School and Las Piñas National High School, both in Las Piñas City, will participate in the clean-up drive to be led by the Senator.

Volunteers from the Bureau of Fire and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources will also participate in cleaning LPPCHEA, which was recognized as a protected area by virtue of Presidential Proclamation Nos. 1412 and 1412-A.

LPPCHEA, a 175-hectare of mangrove forest and marine habitat in the cities of Las Pinas and Paranaque serves as sanctuary for 84 bird species, including migratory birds from as far as Siberia. It is also a home for the globally-threatened Philippine duck and Chinese egret.

Villar, who has been advocating environmental protection, stressed that Ramsar has recognized LPPCHEA's global importance to biodiversity and the need to give it special protection from various threat, particularly, reclamation.

She said the inclusion of LPPCHEA in the Ramsar List solidifies her stand to fight against planned reclamation projects.

"For an international treaty organization to recognize LPPCHEA's significance to biodiversity prove s that the area is indeed a critical habitat that needs special protection from threats, including reclamation," noted Villar.

She said coastal environment are the most productive and biologically diverse landscapes known to man in an archipelagic country like the Philippines.

She has elevated to the Supreme Court the Court of Appeals' decision dismissing her appeal for the grant of a writ of kalikasan to stop the plan to reclaim Manila Bay. She is also conducting a senate inquiry to determine the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) is exercising its power and authority to serve public interest.

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