A House of Representatives committee has approved a bill proposing to cut short the waiting period for reversion to forestlands of unutilized and abandoned fishponds, saying that the move would help address the devastating effects of climate change. The House Committee on Natural Resources, chaired by Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga, unanimously voted to endorse the enactment of House Bill 4119 which will cause the reversion of thousands of hectares of unused fishponds into forestlands. HB 4119 seeks to amend Presidential Decree No. 705, otherwise known as “The Revised Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines” that provides the rules for the reversion of fishponds with Fisheries Lease Agreements into forest land.

Rosario, B. (2019, November 26). House panel okays bill on swift reversion of abandoned fishponds. Manila Bulletin, p. 2.