Republic of the Philippines HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Quezon City FIFTEENTH CONGRESS Second Regular Session HOUSE RESOLUTION No.

1699 _______________________________________________________________________ Introduced by Rep. TEDDY A. CASIO _______________________________________________________________________ RESOLUTION EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMENDING EFFORTS AND CALLING FOR MORE INITIATIVES TOWARDS THE CONSERVATION OF THE CRITICALLY-ENDANGERED CEBU FLOWERPECKER WHEREAS, the Cebu Flowerpecker (Dicaeum quadricolor) rose to international prominence when it was chosen as the flagship species of BirdLife International, an international group dedicated to the conservation of birds globally; WHEREAS, the selection was made during the annual British Birdwatching Fair held in Rutland, England, in August 2009 which drew 20,000 bird enthusiasts from around the globe. The bird, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) based in Gland, Switzerland, has an extremely small population and very small, severely fragmented range owing to catastrophic deforestation; WHEREAS, scientists initially thought that this colorful local songbird was extinct. But when birdwatchers spotted the Cebu Flowerpecker again in 1992 in a mountain village of Tabunan, in Cebu City, the birding world rejoiced; WHEREAS, according to BirdLife International, the bird is endemic to the island of Cebu. In the late 1800s it was known from just two localities, where it was considered not uncommon. Early in the 20th century, it was feared to have become extinct because all of the Cebus forests was thought to have been cleared. However, it was rediscovered in 1992 in Tabunan, the Nug-as forest in Alcoy town, Mount Lantoy, the highest peak in Argao town and Dalaguete town, all in southern Cebu; WHEREAS, the birds multicolored plumage (bluish black on the head and wings, grayish white on the underside, red on a V-shaped patch on its back and greenish yellow on its rump) makes it among the handsome birds of the country. But no photograph has ever been taken of the bird, making it the holy grail of bird watchers worldwide. It is estimated that the species has only between 85 to 105 mature individuals in the aforementioned forest areas of Cebu; WHEREAS, current efforts to help conserve the natural heritage of Cebu, particularly the Cebu Flowerpecker, varies at different levels. The species champion of the endangered bird is the

Department of Tourism, and the species guardian is the Cebu Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, Inc.; WHEREAS, three people's organizations with Community-based Forest Management Agreements with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources help manage and protect the Nug-as Forest. Local forest wardens regularly conduct forest patrols in both Nug-as and Dalaguete forest patches supported by the local government units under the Forest and Wildlife Protection Program; WHEREAS, Mt. Lantoy was declared a Watershed Forest Reserve via Presidential Proclamation 414 on June 29, 1994) and was considered as part of the initial component of National Integrated Protected Area System Act (NIPAS Act). But in December 2006, a new Executive Order was issued by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo reducing the watershed reserve area coverage from 7,265 to 3,000 hectares; WHEREAS, the Central Cebu National Park, together with four other Watershed Forest Reserves, was consolidated to form the Central Cebu Protected Landscape (CCPL) under Republic Act 9486 or the Central Cebu Protected Landscape Act of 2007 with a Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) handling the management of the consolidated protected area; WHEREAS, the efforts to conserve the Cebu Flowerpecker must receive more local, national and international support via policy and concrete initiatives; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the House of Representatives commend efforts towards the conservation of the critically-endangered Cebu Flowerpecker. Adopted,

TEDDY A. CASIO Bayan Muna Party-list