Earth day reflection: Villar’s advocacy for the Las Piñas-Parañaque wetland and the future it protects
Senator Cynthia Villar has been a staunch advocate for the protection and preservation of the Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park, emphasizing its critical role in Metro Manila’s environmental and ecological landscape.
Photographs courtesy of Sen. Cynthia Villar
“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”
A nugget of environmental wisdom passed on through generations, this saying has long guided Senator Cynthia Villar in her environmental work, especially in her efforts to protect and preserve the Las Piñas–Parañaque Wetland Park (LPPWP). For her, protecting the environment is a responsibility that must be carried out today to ensure the well-being of future generations.
Earth Day, celebrated every 22 April, which began in 1970 as a global movement to raise awareness of environmental degradation and to promote action to protect the planet. Over time, it has become a day to reflect on the urgent need to care for the natural world and to commit to choices that support sustainability and resilience.
Las Piñas and Parañaque Wetland Park is a green sanctuary surrounded by development, acting as a buffer against floods, storm surges and coastal erosion — nature’s last line of defense in the south of Manila Bay.
A Migratory bird quietly nests on the rocks along the LPPWP shoreline.
In the Philippines, Earth Day also marks the founding of LPPWP, a vital piece of nature in the southern part of Manila Bay. On 22 April 2007, it was declared a critical habitat through Presidential Proclamation No. 1412, the first of its kind in the country. Formerly known as the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area, it was created to protect a unique stretch of coastal and marine ecosystems located along the coastlines of Las Piñas and Parañaque.
Covering 181 hectares, the wetland includes two islands, lagoons, ponds, mudflats, salt marshes and a 36-hectare mangrove forest — the most extensive and diverse in the bay area. It hosts 12 species of mangroves, including the Nilad, believed to be the origin of the name “Maynila.” The park is home to 159 species of birds, according to the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, including the Philippine Duck, Chinese Egret, and around one percent of the world’s population of Black-winged Stilts. Situated along the East Asian–Australasian Migratory Flyway, LPPWP serves as a vital stopover for birds traveling across continents. Its mudflats and mangroves also support marine life and sustain the fisheries that provide food and livelihood for communities in Southern NCR, CaMaNaVa, and parts of Bulacan.
