Leaders from the three provinces of Samar Island held a joint meeting to discuss the ways forward for the Samar Island Natural Park (SINP), vowing for a renewed push for its inclusion in the World Heritage Site list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
The meeting, held on Thursday at the House of Representative, was attended by Governors Ralph Vincent “RV” Evardone of Eastern Samar, Sharee Ann Tan of Samar, Harris Christopher Ongchuan of Northern Samar, House Minority Leader and 4Ps Party List Rep. Marcelino Libanan, Representatives Edwin Ongchuan (Northern Samar, 2nd Dist), Stephen James Tan (Samar, 1st Dist), Michael Reynolds Tan (Samar, 2nd Dist) and Christopher Sheen Gonzales (Eastern Samar) among others.
Evardone said the inclusion of SINP in UNESCO’s heritage site list will not only add prestige to the three provinces but will also be a uniting initiative for the provinces as they pushed for increased tourism traffic to the whole island.
The leaders discussed the establishment of a Special UNESCO Committee that will work on the nomination of the SINP as a UNESCO Geopark, the designation of the SINP Buffer Zone, and the Samar Green Project.
Rep. Ongchuan said the preservation of SINP’s outstanding universal value can empower local communities, promote eco-tourism, and inspire global commitment to safeguarding our natural heritage.
“SINP serves not only as a sanctuary for biodiversity but also as a powerful springboard for sustainable development,” he told the Daily Tribune.
Ongchuan said SINP has a large biodiversity and is considered the center of plant and animal diversity and endemism in the Philippines containing a remarkable number of threatened species belonging to the Eastern Visayas and Mindanao biogeographic region.
The SINP, with an area of 333,300 hectares, its buffer spreads north to south over the island's three provinces (Eastern Samar, Northern Samar and Samar province) and totals 458,700 hectares, about a third of the entire island of Samar.
The Samar Island leaders also discussed the rezoning of proposed unity roads and a site-specific House Bill for SINP.
In recent years, highways are being built crisscrossing the mountain range aimed at improving connectivity among the provinces and reducing travel time.
On the development side, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has issued special permits to some companies that have expressed intention to harness surface water and rivers to run small and medium hydropower plants.
Governor Ongchuan said stands with the other leaders in weighing development initiatives within the SINP area, assuring his constituents that environmental preservation will always be considered in pushing for economic growth.
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