An international environmental group called on Congress for the immediate passage of a bill that will declare the island at the southernmost tip of Southern Leyte as a protected seascape under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act or RA 11038. Oceana, an international advocacy organization, said the waters of Panaon Island have coral reefs with up to 60 percent of very good coral cover, way above the national average of only 20percent. The House Committee on Natural Resources provisionally approved the consolidated bill for the proposed Panaon Island seascape pending the submission of a minor revision to the technical description from the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority.

Recuerdo, E. (2023, May 21). Call to declare Panaon protected seascape aired. Daily Tribune, p. B19.