The House of Representatives in Congress has approved House Bill 7767 or the
Integrated Coastal Management Bill sponsored by Cong. Edgar Chatto, chair of the
Committee on Climate Change.
In a speech at the plenary on May 16, 2023, Chatto underscored the bill’s objective
to adopt a multi-stakeholder and ridge-to-reef approach in regulating different human
activities.
This recognizes the interconnectivity of ecosystems from the uplands up to the
coastal and marine areas of our country and thus, addresses the coastal degradation
and loss of our biodiversity, he said.
Under the proposed measure, a committee will be formed to coordinate the efforts of
fragmented agencies and instrumentalities which govern the country’s coastal and
marine areas.
The bill also establishes Coastal Greenbelts in areas that are most vulnerable to
storm surges and tsunamis to be reforested with mangroves and beach forest, no
less than 100 meters in width.
Since the country has the fifth longest coastline of 36,289 kilometers in the world,
how Climate Change has increased the vulnerability of our coastal communities
should be considered, Chatto explained.
He cited the recent oil spill caused by the sinking of MT Princess Empress off the
coast of Naujan, Oriental Mindoro which made integrating coastal management more
urgent.
The oil slick has contaminated the waters and beaches of eight coastal towns in
Oriental Mindoro and reached as far as Northern Palawan. The UP Marine Science
Institute estimates that 20,000 hectares of coral reef, 9,900 hectares of mangroves,
and 6,000 hectares of seagrass in Oriental and Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, and
Antique could be harmed by the oil spill.
Under the bill, the National Coordinating Committee on Integrated Coastal
Management will develop guidelines for provinces sharing resources for the
integrated management and protection of shared coastal and marine ecosystems.
At the provincial level, it is the Provincial Development Council that will provide the
guidelines for the affected municipalities unless the province has already established
an environmental management office or the like. This will also encourage
cooperation or sharing of best practices among LGUs affected by environmental
problems like oil spill which transcends political boundaries.
Once this measure is passed into law, LGUs will be required to prepare conforming
local Integrated Coastal Management plans, whether they are in the lowlands,
uplands or coastal areas, recognizing that human activities and ecosystems are
interconnected. These plans will then be incorporated in Comprehensive Land Use
Plans or CLUPs which is currently required of LGUs.
The Integrated Coastal Management bill is a priority measure of the Philippine
Development Plan 2023-2028.