Villar wants to place PH Rise under NIPAS

CITING the need to monitor and maintain the high biodiversity and pristine habitats in the Philippine Rise Marine Resource Reserve (PMRR), Senator Cynthia A. Villar wants to place it under National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS).

Legislation of the PMRR, the senator stressed, will not only institutionalize and provide funds for its management, but will also be in keeping with our exercise of Philippine sovereignty over our waters and resources.

Due to this, Villar filed Senate Bill 519 or An Act Declaring a portion of Philippine Rise within the exclusive economic Zone (EEZ) of the Philippine Sea as a protected are with the category of Marine Resource Reserve under NIPAS.

Villar, chairperson of the Senate Environment Committee, said this would be referred to as PMRR.

The bill also seeks to establish a mechanism that would ensure measures towards this objective are enforced and implemented.

The majority of the Philippine Rise including the Benham Bank Seamount, has always been within the Philippines EEZ.

The United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (UN-CLCS) adopted the recommendation of the Philippines on the limits of our Continental Shelf.

"Following the discoveries in the Benham Rise, four more research expeditions were conducted in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2022 to further assess its biodiversity and extent of habitats," said Villar.

She noted that the data and information obtained from the past expeditions supported the recognition of the Philippine Rise as an Ecologically and Biogically Significant Marine Area (EBSMA) under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

This also refers to the declaration of a portion of the Philippine Rise, namely Benham Bank, and its surrounding waters as a marine resource reserve under NIPAS in 2018 by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 489.

The proclamation of the portion of the Philippine Rise as a marine protected area (MPA) in 2018 was just an initial step towards fulfilling the requirements for a full-fledged protected area to be finally declared as part of ENIPAS in 2018.

Since the PMRR is the first MPA in the Philippine EEZ wherein fisheries operations are regular, Villar said the state of habitats and biodiversity in the Behnam Bank must be closely monitored.

She said this would ensure the sustainability of the resources found in the area.

Also, she said that regular expeditions in the area must be conducted inorder to establish long-term trends in the ecological integrity and biodiversity of the Behnam bank.

The bill also provides that the BFAR, AFP Philippine Coast Guard and PNP Maritime Group are involved in maritime patrolling, maritime safety for Filipino fishers and enforcement of fisheries and conservation laws.

Villar, nais isailalim ang PH Rise sa NIPAS

NAIS ni Senator Cynthia A. Villar na isailalim sa National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) ang Philippine Rise Marine Resource Reserve (PMRR) upang mapanatili ang mataas na "biodiversity" at habitat nito.

Sinabi ni Villar na maproprotektahan din ng isang legislation ang soberinidad ng Pilipinas sa katubigan at 'resources' nito bukod sa paglalaan ng pondo.

Sanhi nito, inihain ni Villar ang Senate Bill 519 o "An Act Declaring a portion of Philippine Rise within the exclusive economic Zone (EEZ) of the Philippine Sea as a protected are with the category of Marine Resource Reserve under NIPAS."

Ani Villar, chairperson ng Senate Environment Committee, tatawagin itong PMRR. Layunin ng panukalang batas na magtatag ng mekanismo para matiyak na maipatutupad ang mga hakbang sa adhikaing ito.

Nasa Philippines EEZ ang majority ng Philippine Rise kabilang ang Benham Bank Seamount.

Pinagtibay ng United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (UN-CLCS) ang panukalang hangganan ng Pilipinas sa ating Continental Shelf.

"Following the discoveries in the Benham Rise, four more research expeditions were conducted in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2022 to further assess its biodiversity and extent of habitats," ayon kay Villar.

Binigyan diin niya na base sa mga data at impormasyon na nakalap sa mga nakaraang paglalakbay, suportado nito ang pagkilala sa Philippine Rise bilang Ecologically at Biogically Significant Marine Area (EBSMA) sa ilalim ng UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

Tumutukoy din ito sa deklarasyon ng bahagi ng Philippine Rise gaya ng Benham Bank at ang mga nakapalibot na tubig na marine resource reserve sa ilalim ng NIPAS noong 2018 sa bisa ng Presidential Proclamation No. 489.

Dahil ang PMRR ang unang MPA Philippine EEZ kung saan regular ang pangingisda, sinabi ni Villar na kailangang bantayan ang habitats at abiodiversity sa Behnam Bank.