Villar elated over inclusion of LPPCHEA on Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance

 

Former Las Piñas Representative Cynthia Villar said she is happy that the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA) is included on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.

“The inclusion of LPPCHEA on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance is very good news indeed. We should be proud of the recognition, and at the same time, we are encouraged even more to protect it," said Villar.

LPPCHEA is the sixth Philippine site designated as ‘Wetlands of International Importance’, it was included on the list on March 15.

The others on the list are: the Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park in Sulu (listed on December 11, 1999); the Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary (listed on December 11, 1999); the Naujan Lake National Park in Oriental Mindoro (listed on December 11, 1999); the Olango Island Wildlife Sanctuary in Cebu (listed on January 7, 1994); and the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Palawan (listed on June 30, 2012).

The Philippines joined the Ramsar Convention in 1994. Signatories to join the Convention agree to "include wetland conservation considerations in their national land-use planning," and commit to implement and promote "the wise use of wetlands in their territory."

The Convention on Wetlands—signed in Ramsar, Iran on 1971— is an intergovernmental treaty that embodies the commitments of its member countries to maintain the ecological character of their Wetlands of International Importance and to plan for the "wise use", or sustainable use, of all of the wetlands in their territories.

"The international treaty organization has recognized LPPCHEA’s global importance to biodiversity and the need to give it special protection from various threats. LPPCHEA is the so-called 'last bastion' in Metro Manila and faces various threats" said Villar.

Ramcar Convention cited on its website that LPPCHEA “faces threats” such as “ongoing land reclamation projects and mangrove cutting”, and “waste from nearby cities (that) accumulates along the coast”

Despite being  declared as a critical habitat in 2007 by Proclamation No. 1412, there are existing plans to reclaim the area.

Villar is very vocal about her opposition on the planned 635.14-hectare Manila Bay reclamation project that will also affect LPPCHEA. She filed a petition for Writ of Kalikasan on March 16 against the said project, which the Supreme Court granted on April 10 last year. The writ of kalikasan was issued but not a temporary environmental protection order or TEPO—without a TEPO, the contractor can still proceed with the projects.

A series of hearings, which wrapped up only a few weeks ago, was held at the Court of Appeals. Villar herself took the court stand on October 12 as petitioner and witness. Villar’s group is aiming for the issuance of a permanent environmental protection order, so that the reclamation project will be junked altogether.  

“I have repeatedly talked about the catastrophic effects that the proposed Manila Bay reclamation project will bring about—including the damage to the bird sanctuary as well as to the mangrove forest and marine habitat. The worst of which, is that it will cause severe flooding in 37 barangays in Bacoor, 11 in Paranaque and 17 in Las Piñas. Floods with a depth of as much as 5.12 meters or equivalent to a two-storey high building,” cited Villar.

LPPCHEA serves as a sanctuary to migratory bird species from as far as Siberia. According to the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, Metro Manila has 150 species of birds, 72 of which are found at LPPCHEA. It is the only bird sanctuary located in an urban setting, thus it is considered as the ‘last bastion’. 

Description of LPPCHEA on the Annotated Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance:

Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA):

A coastal wetland in Manila Bay situated within the metropolis of Manila, comprising two interconnected, mangrove-covered islands, shallow lagoons and coastline. A Presidential Proclamation in 2007 designated the site as a ‘Critical Habitat’ for the survival of threatened, restricted-range and congregatory species. At least 5,000 individuals of migratory and resident birds have been recorded at the site, including about 47 migratory species such as the vulnerable Chinese Egret (Egretta eulophotes). The most important of the resident bird species is the vulnerable Philippine Duck (Anas luzonica) which breeds at the site. Records from 2007-2011 show that the site supports at least 1% of the estimated population of Black-Winged Stilts (Himantopus himantopus) using the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. The site faces threats associated with being located near densely populated areas. Waste from nearby cities accumulates along the coast and heavy metals and other organic contents coming from residential and industrial effluents affectsurrounding areas. Other threats include ongoing land reclamation projects and mangrove cutting. Efforts to ensure the long-term conservation of this site are ongoing.

Villar Receives Honoris Causa from Bataan Peninsula State University

 

Former Las Piñas Representative and Team PNoy senatorial candidate Cynthia Villar received an Honoris Causa in Doctor in Humanities from the Bataan Peninsula State University (BPSU) during its recent commencement exercise where she was guest of honor and speaker.

In her acceptance speech, Villar said the recognition is ‘extra special’ since it was given by a state university in Bataan, the home province of Senator Manny Villar’s mother, Curita Bamba Villar or Nanay Curing, who hailed from Orani.

 

BPSU officials led by its President Delfin Magpantay conferred on Villar the honorary degree Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa.

“I am honored and happy to receive the honoris causa from Bataan Peninsula State University and to be invited as their commencement speaker. I always look forward to interacting with the youth and in my own way, give them inspiration and guidance as they start a new phase in their lives,” said Villar.

Villar, in her commencement speech, urged the more than 1,200 graduates of the Bataan Peninsula State University not to be discouraged by the unemployment and underemployment problems in the country but rather consider entrepreneurship as an option to merely seeking employment after graduation.

“There is always the option to go into entrepreneurship—to be an entrepreneur, to employ people instead of getting employed. In fact, I hope, many of you will aim to go the entrepreneurial way,” Villar told the graduates from the main campus of BPSU in Balanga City and branches in the towns of Abucay, Dinalupihan and Orani.

As an active advocate of entrepreneurship, Villar narrated to the graduates the success story of her family’s real estate business, which started as a small gravel and sand company. She cited that capital is not everything in business.

“When (Senator) Manny and I started our business in the 1970s, we only had P10,000. So we had to borrow P70,000 from a bank to buy two second-hand trucks that we used in delivering sand and gravel to construction companies. Then, Manny saw the potential of building small houses. We pursued our dream with hard work and persistence,” she added, citing entrepreneurship as a way out of poverty.

Villar was awarded by Go Negosyo as among the ‘The Women Entrepreneur Icons and Filipina Entrepreneurs of 2013’ during the 5th Filipina Entrepreneurship Summit last month. As a congresswoman, Villar led the passage of bills that benefited entrepreneurs, among which was the Magna Carta of Micro-Enterprises and Republic Act 9178 or the Barangay Micro Business Enterprises (BMBEs) Act.

Cynthia Villar Vows to Push Husband’s Anti No Exam No Permit Bill

Former Las Pinas Rep. Cynthia Villar on has vowed to pursue the proposed measure filed by her husband, outgoing Senator Manny Villar, which prohibits colleges and universities from preventing students to take examinations over unpaid tuition and other school fees.

The former congresswoman, who is running for senator under the Nacionalista Party-Team PNoy,  said this will among her priorities in case she wins a senate seat in the coming May elections.

Sen. Villar belongs to the so-called “graduating senators” whose term of office ends in June 2013.

Sometimes in October 2011, Sen. Villar, a former House Speaker and Senate President, filed a bill to keep higher educational institutions from implementing “No permit, No Exam” policies, saying it amounts to depriving students the right to take examinations.

Villar’s bill, however, allows schools to withhold grades and clearances of students, and keep them from enrolling again until they settle their accounts.  But Villar’s bill was not passed in the Senate although it was referred to the Senate committee on education chaired by Senator Edgardo Angara. It’s counterpart bill was approved on third reading in the House of Representatives.

The senator’s wife, widely-known as “Misis Hanep Buhay,” said it is lamentable  this ‘unfortunate’ incident happened to a young “Iskolar ng Bayan” at UP Manila, who could  be the ‘key’ to take out of poverty  her parents and four younger siblings.

“Another life was wasted due to poverty,” said Villar who has also been advocating jobs for everybody to lead a comfortable life.
To avoid another case of Kristel Tejada, who committed suicide after she was forced to file a leave of absence (LOA) due to unpaid tuition fees,  former Rep. Villar also  underscored the need to revisit and  review the policies of our State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) to which UP Manila belongs, and the other educational institutions in the country.

“What happened to Kristel is very regrettable especially since she was enrolled in a government-subsidized institution mandated to provide high quality  education to “poor but deserving” students. Just like other SUCs, UP has a regular annual appropriations from the national government. So it is necessary to look into the need to expand the government’s study and scholarship programs in SUCs. Do we need to give them additional budget so that  students like Kristel would no longer be burdened to cough up money for her tuition fees?” said she said.
She said there should also be a review of the SUCs policies for non-payment of tuition fees.

“Perhaps, it’s about time to review these policies,” she further stated. She said Tejada’s suicide also showed the lack of  access to education in the country.

Imagine, Kristel, considered a “Iskolar ng Bayan,” being a student of UP, a state university, killed herself as she has no money to pay her tuitions fees. It’s indeed sad and a total dismay,” she added.