Two bills filed by Southern Leyte solons to declare an island in the province as a protected area gained support from an international environmental advocacy group. Southern Leyte Second District Rep. Christopherson Yap filed House Bill 4095 and First District Rep. Luz Mercado filed House Bill 3743 seeking to declare Panaon Island as a protected seascape under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act and enhance efforts to safeguard the island's coral reefs and threatened and endangered species. The two bills were filed at the start of the 19th Congress and are still pending in the House Committee on Natural Resources and they outline the parameters of the protected seascape's coverage in the towns of Liloan, San Francisco, Pintuyan and San Ricardo, the mechanisms for administration, the prohibited acts and penalties, and the funding requirements to sustain its protection.

Recuerdo, E. (2022, November 11). Panaon Island as protected area sought. Daily Tribune, p. B16.