The Pinoy Workers Partylist has filed a bill seeking to declare the three nautical miles surrounding the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) and Scarborough Shoal as a Marine Protected Area (MPA) under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS).
House Bill No. 3090, or the “KIG and Scarborough Shoal Marine Protected Area Act of 2025,” was introduced by Rep. Franz Fernandez Legazpi on August 5, 2025, reinforces the State’s commitment to protect the marine ecology of the Kalayaan Island Group and Scarborough Shoal while asserting the Philippines’ sovereign rights through conservation-based management.
The proposed measure aims to strengthen environmental protection in the West Philippine Sea by placing the designated zones under the Expanded NIPAS Act of 2018.
“Proteksyon para sa yamang dagat ng WPS, inihain na! Sa unang pagsalang pa lang natin sa Kongreso ay inihain natin ang HB 3090 o ang ‘KIG and Scarborough Shoal Marine Protected Area Act 2025,’ na naglalayong bigyan ng espesyal na proteksyong pangkalikasan ang 3 nautical miles na pumapalibot sa teritoryo natin sa Kalayaan Island Group at sa Scarborough Shoal,” Legazpi said.
He stressed that the country’s marine resources are vital to food security and ecological balance, citing the repeated aggression by China against our fishermen.
According to the bill’s explanatory note, the KIG and Scarborough Shoal are ecologically significant clusters of islands, reefs, and atolls, with coral reefs comprising about 34 percent of the world’s total. These areas serve as key spawning and breeding grounds for fish in the West Philippine Sea and are habitats for endangered marine species.
The bill seeks to prohibit destructive practices such as coral-damaging fishing, dumping of toxic substances, littering, blasting, mineral exploration, and the introduction of invasive alien species.
It also calls for the creation of the Kalayaan Island Group and Scarborough Shoal Protected Area Management Board (KIGSS-PAMB) and the Protected Area Management Office (KIGSS-PAMO) to oversee conservation measures. A joint congressional oversight committee will monitor implementation.
The measure proposes an annual operating budget of at least P10 million from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Biodiversity Management Bureau.
