Rehabilitation of Lake Lanao pushed

MindaNews / 3 June — A Bangsamoro legislator is pushing for the rehabilitation of the country’s second largest lake, proposing the creation of the Lake Lanao Rehabilitation and Development Authority (LLRDA). 

Lake Lanao and part of the reconstructed Marawi City, where the old “padian” (commercial area) used to stand. MindaNews photo by BOBBY TIMONERA

Member of the Parliament (MP) Baintan Ampatuan said the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Bill 155 she sponsored is calling for urgent actions to save the lake, which is the only ancient lake in Southeast Asia. (Ancient lakes are those that has been in existence for more than a million years. There are reportedly only 20 such lakes all over the world.)

Ampatuan described the initiative as a “rescue mission,” where she underscored the critical state of the lake, a vital ecological and cultural resource for residents around the lake.

During her sponsorship speech on May 29, Ampatuan emphasized that Lake Lanao, or simply “Ranao” to the Maranaos, is far more than just a body of water—it is an “ancient cradle of civilization” and the second largest lake in the Philippines, spanning 36,300 hectares.

Ampatuan, co-principal author MP Rasol Mitmog Jr., and several co-authors delivered a stark warning about the lake’s deteriorating health. 

A 2023 Environmental Condition Report from Mindanao State University and the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy (MENRE) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) revealed that “70% of the Lake Lanao’s endemic species are now either critically endangered or already extinct.”

Ampatuan further noted the finding of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) which indicates “alarming levels of biological oxygen demand in the Lake’s northern quadrant,” a direct consequence of untreated sewage and domestic waste contaminating the water.

She cited a few reasons behind the lake’s decline: “the indiscriminate disposal of human and household waste directly into the lake, the collapse of traditional agricultural practices and lack of sustainable irrigation, and the absence of an empowered, unified institution to oversee the lake’s long-term protection, rehabilitation, and development.”

Ampatuan stressed that the current situation represents “not just an environmental decline, but cultural erosion, economic dissolution, and a slow but certain death of a vital Bangsamoro resource.”

The proposed LLRDA aims to serve as a central coordinating body and a technical agency under the Office of the Chief Minister, she said. 

In Ampatuan’s proposed bill, the LLRDA would be empowered to formulate a 30-year Lake Lanao master plan, conduct feasibility studies, enforce zoning ordinances, and harmonize the efforts of various government agencies of BARMM.

Ampatuan argued that the measure extends beyond a mere local bill, characterizing it as a “regional environmental security strategy” and a matter of “climate justice to the Bangsamoro.”

The bill, she said, represents the Bangsamoro government’s assertion of its “exclusive power over inland waters as granted under Bangsamoro Organic Law, particularly Section 22, Article 13.” (Ferdinandh Cabrera / MindaNews)