Lawmakers filed separate bills seeking to declare Panaon Island in Southern Leyte as a protected seascape under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (Enipas) Act to enhance efforts to safeguard the island’s coral reefs and threatened endangered species. Leyte Second District Rep. Christopherson Yap and Southern Leyte First District Rep. Luz Mercado filed House Bills 4095 and 3743, respectively, outlining the parameters of the protected seascape’s coverage in the four municipalities of Liloan, San Francisco, Pintuyan and San Ricardo.

Cariaso, B. (2022, November 12). Bills filed to protext Panaon Island reefs. The Manila Times, p. B5.