Congress urged to pass National Coastal Greenbelt Bill as 127 LGUs lead coastal protection efforts

Manila, Philippines, May 2026 — At least 127 local government units (LGUs) across the Philippines have already taken decisive action to protect their coastlines by establishing coastal greenbelt zones through local ordinances and executive orders — a wave of local action that advocates say Congress must now match with a national law.

The Global Mangrove Alliance Philippines (GMAP) said this growing wave of local action sends a clear signal to the 20th Congress: the country is ready for a National Coastal Greenbelt Act that will scale up proven local measures into a unified, enforceable national policy.

“These 127 LGUs have proven that coastal greenbelts are not just sound environmental policy—they are practical governance that save lives and sustain livelihoods. But local action can only go so far. Without a national law, these gains remain fragile,” said Dr. Annadel Cabanban, Lead Convenor of the GMAP and Country Manager of Wetlands International Philippines.

In a country with a coastline spanning over 36,000 kilometers, the 127 local policies are expected to protect an estimated 30,130 hectares of mangroves and beach forests based on the areas indicated in the ordinances and executive orders.

“But this is not enough. Local ordinances alone cannot overcome fragmented mandates, inconsistent enforcement, and the lack of sustained funding. A national law is essential to protect what LGUs have already built and to bring the rest of the country on board,” said Cabanban.

In its position statement submitted to the 20th Congress on May 11, GMAP underscored that mangroves are a form of natural infrastructure that delivers multiple, long-term benefits, often surpassing traditional “grey infrastructure” such as seawalls and concrete barriers.

Unlike a seawall that cracks, corrodes, and requires costly repair, healthy mangrove greenbelts grow stronger over time, self-repairing after storms and expanding their protective reach as they mature. Scientific evidence shows that mangroves can significantly reduce wave energy and storm surge, providing protection that is both effective and adaptive to changing climate conditions.

Beyond coastal defense, mangroves generate co-benefits that grey infrastructure cannot provide, including fisheries support, carbon storage, erosion control and water filtration, and biodiversity conservation.

But despite the benefits provided by mangroves, Philippine mangrove cover has significantly declined from an estimated 450,000 hectares in 1918 (Samson and Rollon 2011) to around 311,000 hectares today (NAMRIA 2020, Philippine Coastal Resources Statistics), a loss of nearly one-third of the country’s mangrove forests.

“We need to curb mangrove loss now. Every peso invested in mangrove protection delivers multiple returns for disaster risk reduction, food security, climate mitigation, and biodiversity,” Cabanban said. “Mangroves are living infrastructure that not only protect communities, but also sustain them.”

From Local Innovation to National Protection

Across the country, LGUs have passed coastal greenbelt ordinances and executive orders safeguarding mangroves and coastal vegetation that reduce storm surge, prevent erosion, support fisheries, and buffer communities from climate impacts. Their work has laid a foundation — one that a national law can now build on and protect.

The proposed National Coastal Greenbelt Bill would establish a science-based national standard for coastal greenbelt zones, provide technical and institutional support to LGUs through a National Coastal Greenbelt Management Action Plan, and harmonize the mandates of national agencies and local governments into a coherent, enforceable framework.

Critically, it would insulate local gains from the risks of leadership turnover and political change — ensuring that a mangrove greenbelt established under one administration cannot be quietly dismantled by the next.

“The Bill does not replace local ordinances. It strengthens them,” Cabanban emphasized. “It converts local leadership into national policy and ensures that the LGUs who moved first are rewarded, not left to defend their gains alone.”

Beyond passage of the bill, GMAP called on Congress to adopt provisions that would unlock the full potential of coastal greenbelts as climate and biodiversity solutions:

Recognize coastal greenbelt zones as climate and biodiversity assets in the Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs), allowing them to count toward the Philippines’ national commitments on climate adaptation and biodiversity conservation. (OECMs, though not currently recognized or reported as protected areas, also contribute to effective and sustained conservation of biodiversity.)

Integrate blue carbon mechanisms, linking the law to national blue carbon frameworks so the country can access international climate finance for mangrove protection and restoration.

Ensure legal coherence with related legislation, including the Blue Economy Act to prevent conflicting mandates and close enforcement gaps.
Strengthen the rights of coastal and indigenous communities, including tenure security and free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), recognizing communities as long-term stewards of greenbelt zones.
Require blue-carbon co-benefits assessment to measure carbon sequestration potential, support credible international reporting, and attract results-based climate finance.
Provide dedicated, multi-year funding to ensure that national and local plans are fully implemented.
Require science-based monitoring and transparent reporting to Congress and the public.

A Call to Act Now

The Alliance warned that without urgent action, the gains made by LGUs risk being undermined by rapid coastal development, climate-driven disasters, and policy fragmentation. The failure to pass a similar measure in the previous Congress, GMAP said, must not be repeated.

With the typhoon season soon approaching, GMAP issued a direct call to the 20th Congress: “Local governments have done their part—often without national resources or legal support. The responsibility now lies with Congress to act. Without this law, coastal communities remain unnecessarily exposed with every passing typhoon season. The Global Mangrove Alliance thus urges Congress to give our people the full protection that only a national coastal greenbelt law can provide,” Cabanban said.

GMAP reaffirmed its commitment to work with Congress, national agencies, and LGUs to support implementation once the bill becomes law.