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Citing the urgent need to prevent the extinction of
threatened species and promote the protection of their habitats,
Albay Representative Edcel Lagman recently filed House Bill No. 3590
or the “Adopt-a-Wildlife Species Act of 2008.”
This initiative, Lagman said,
aims to conserve and protect biological diversity and promote
ecologically sustainable development.
“The biological richness of the
Philippines has been hailed as Galapagos times ten. However, despite
various laws to protect the country’s threatened species, there
are still gaps in the intended conservation impact due to problems
in implementation, poor coordination, and a lack of interest and
participation by local communities and the private sector,” the
lawmaker said.
Nearly 500 species of plants and
animals in the country are threatened, among which are the butanding
(whale shark), the tamaraw, the Philippine eagle, and marine
turtles. Conservationists fear that without immediate intervention,
the country’s hotspots will face an extinction crisis.
To curb this, the Adopt-a-Species
bill strongly encourages the active participation of the private
sector and all other sectors in species conservation. “This bill
will address the factors which inhibit greater private sector
participation in conservation. Not only will it provide incentives;
it will also offer a strong science-based framework that will guide
programs and activities,” Lagman explained.
Embodied in the bill is a package
of incentives for the private sector and other organizations,
including exemption from the donor’s tax for all donations and
allied contributions to the program; and deduction from the taxable
income of the full amount of the donation, contribution, bequest,
subsidy or financial aid relative to the program.
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