Ranking members of the House of Representatives led by House Speaker Jose C. de Venecia Jr. moved yesterday to develop eco-tourism in the country’s small islands by pushing for approval of a bill declaring these areas alienable and disposable for commercial purposes.

Agusan del Norte Rep. Leovigildo B. Banaag, chairman of House Committee on Natural Resources, said the enactment of House Bill (HB) 4789 could ease the country’s foreign debt burden as it seeks to give small islands economic value.

Banaag, who is among the principal authors of the bill, revealed that authors of the measure have also sought the adoption of House Resolution 981 which urges President Arroyo to open small islands with land areas of less than 50,000 hectares for wealth creation by allowing sustainable ecotourism management and development.

The twin measures will exclude the islands from list of areas considered as national reservation and declare the islands as allenable and disposable.

Banaag said the "diverse and ecologically rich tropical islands" could be the country’s greatest assets for eco-tourism development but have remained untapped.

"Since time immemorial, people from cold countries picture tropical islands as paradise, paying good money to visit and stay. We have more than a thousand of them," the Mindanao lawmaker said.

According to Banaag, areas that can be developed by private investors into eco-tourism havens comprise at least 70 percent of the country’s more than 7,000 islands.

"Our small islands must become tools to liberate our people from poverty. With private investments into eco-tourism resorts, parks, and hotels, small island folks would cease to be marginal farmers or fishermen and become service providers," he added.

Banaag argued that if eco-tourism development in such islands is left to the hands of government, conservation and preservation of natural resources may not be guaranteed. On the other hand, private sector participation have proven to be more effective in conservation and preservation.

"An immediate effect in declaring the subject small islands as allienable or disposable for commercial purposes will be affording economic value on small islands. Poor island folks will immediately enjoy the benefits," he said. (BR)