Iloilo City sets 100-meter no-build zone for mangroves

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Iloilo City has declared a mandatory 100-meter no-build buffer zone along all its coastal areas and imposed a total ban on coastal reclamation, as the city government moves to protect mangroves and strengthen its defenses against climate change.

The rule is among the salient provisions of the Coastal Greenbelt Zone Ordinance of Iloilo City, authored by Councilor Romel Duron and approved unanimously by the city council Wednesday, July 1.

Duron said the measure aims to protect the city’s remaining 110 hectares of mangroves and restore natural defenses against the 20 to 25 typhoons that strike the Philippines annually.

The “100-meter rule” designates a coastal greenbelt zone, or CGZ, spanning a minimum of 100 meters inland from the mean high-water mark.

This zone will be established across all 32 coastal barangays of Iloilo City, including the Molo Boulevard coastline, Bito-on and Balabago in Jaro, and Hinactacan in La Paz.

“There is a need to establish these mangrove areas as coastal greenbelt zone in order to ensure their proper protection and rehabilitation [..] as coastal defenses against the adverse impacts of extreme weather [conditions] brought about by climate change,” the ordinance read.

Under the ordinance, the construction of permanent or temporary structures within the designated greenbelt is prohibited.

Any structure found in violation will be declared a public nuisance and subject to immediate summary demolition at the expense of the owner or developer.

The ordinance also takes a firm stance against artificial coastal expansion to address what it calls an “alarming rate” at which mangroves are being cleared for development.

Section 8 establishes a comprehensive reclamation ban, prohibiting all forms of coastal reclamation, the dumping of filling materials, and any artificial land expansion within the CGZ and its immediate marine frontiers.

It further bars city government offices and other entities from proposing, endorsing, or undertaking reclamation projects within protected coastal areas. The conversion of mangrove forests into reclamation sites is likewise prohibited.

To manage the zones, a CGZ committee headed by the city mayor, Raisa Treñas, will be created, alongside the installation of high-visibility, weather-resistant boundary buoys and onshore monuments marking the seaward and landward limits of the CGZ.

Individuals found violating the ordinance will face a fine of PHP 2,500 per offense or imprisonment of one to two months. Commercial establishments, meanwhile, face a fine of PHP 4,000, imprisonment of up to six months for the person responsible, and cancellation of their business permits.

While development activities are restricted, the ordinance allows limited artisanal fishing by registered fisherfolk using non-destructive fishing gear such as fish traps, hook and line, spears, crab lifts, and shell gathering, provided mangrove roots are not damaged.

The measure also regulates mangrove pruning, allowing it only with authorization from local authorities. Collection of mangrove propagules or seedlings for commercial use or for transport outside Iloilo City likewise requires a mayor’s permit.

The ordinance further mandates an allocation of PHP 5 million from the city’s annual appropriations for the implementation, education, and monitoring of the measure.

The ordinance places Iloilo City within a broader national push for coastal protection. The Department of the Interior and Local Government has directed local governments to assess, establish, reforest, and protect coastal greenbelt zones, positioning them as frontliners in disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation. Environmental group Oceana has tracked at least 20 such zones already established nationwide, including in Bataan, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Leyte.