The unnumbered substitute bill seeks to protect Benham Rise and its surrounding waters as a marine reserve instead of a natural park.
THE House of Representatives on Wednesday has approved a measure seeking to declare a portion of the Philippine Rise as a protected area.
The House Committee on Natural Resources chaired by Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., approved the unnumbered substitute bill to House Bill 36 or the Philippine Rise Marine Resource Reserve (PRMRR) Act authored by Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon.
The bill seeks to protect Benham Bank and its surrounding waters as a marine reserve instead of a natural park.
“Upon consultation, we were enlightened that it would be best that we make it a marine reserve in order for us to be able to take advantage of the natural resources therein,” Biazon said.
The bill also states that the areas outside the protected zone will be designated as the Multiple-Use Zone and the Special Fisheries Management Area.
The Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) will be tasked to monitor all finishing activities within the SFMA and provide technical and financial aid if needed.
The bill prohibits acts within the protected area, such as poaching, killing, destroying, disturbing of any wildlife; hunting or gathering of any wildlife; using any fishing or harvesting gear that is unsustainable or detrimental to marine life, among others.
The new protected area will then be referred to as the “Philippine Rise Marine Resource Reserve.”
House Deputy Speaker Lito Atienza, however, questioned if the bill will limit the country's claims to the Philippine Rise.
"Would it be to our advantage to limit the intentions of this bill to a small area, when tomorrow, China becomes present again in that area and declare the area as part of their territorial, ancestral, historical whatever?" questioned Atienza.
In response, Biazon says that the bill was “in no way a surrender of our rights over the Benham Rise,” and will even give the country an opportunity to benefit from its natural resources.
Tags: #marineresources, #BenhamRise, PhilippineRiseMarineResourceReserve