Wetland Park rising in Las Piñas-Parañaque swamp

from mb.com.ph:
By Elena L. Aben

Sen. Cynthia Villar continues to push for the development of the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Eco-Tourism Area (LPPCHEA) as an urban tourism destination.

Yesterday, Sen. Villar led the ground-breaking ceremony for the eco-tourism facilities of the Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park, which is expected to help protect and preserve the last remaining wetland within Manila Bay.

Villar said that first to be constructed will be the visitor’s center or the Wetland Wave, which will serve as the drop-off point and gathering area of people visiting the park.

The construction of the entrance facility will be sponsored by Mrs. Villar along with her husband, former Senator Manny Villar.

“We are now signaling the start of the construction of eco-tourism and conservation facilities of the soon-to-rise Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park. These structures will enhance the wetland’s natural landscape and will make our people’s visit more convenient and educational,” she said.

Villar said construction is expected to be completed in October, in time for the holding of the 12th Session of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS COP12).

The LPPCHEA is one of the sites to be visited by the CMS COP12 participants.

The development of the wetland park is designed by the Society for the Conservation of Philippine Wetlands (SCPW) as patterned after the Hong Kong Wetland Park.

A memorandum of agreement was signed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Villar SIPAG for the development of Wetland Park at LPPCHEA.