Raffy Tulfo pushes Las Pinas-Paranaque bird sanctuary relocation, cites risk to airport

Senator Raffy Tulfo on Thursday proposed the relocation of a bird sanctuary spanning the cities of Las Pinas and Paranaque, citing the rising cases of bird strikes at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

During the Senate Public Services Committee hearing, Tulfo said the number of bird strike incidents in the Philippines reached 953 in 2025, with more than 50 reported at NAIA.

Bird strikes pose a serious danger to aviation as birds could ram into the planes or get sucked into engines, causing flight disruptions and possibly, air crashes.

"Ang gusto ko before the end of this year, magawan na ng paraan itong mga problema sa bird strike, especially itong sa wetland sa Las Pinas," said Tulfo.

(I want to address the issues on bird strike before the end of the year, especially on the Las Pinas wetland.)

"Sinabi na ng CAAP [Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines], itong bird sanctuary pwede namang malipat yan eh, diba? Maghanap tayo ng isang area na pwedeng paglipatan na malayo sa flight path ng mga eroplano," he added.

(The CAAP said the bird sanctuary could be relocated, right? Let's find an area where we can relocate it, away from the flight path of the airplanes.)

DENR: Relocation is challenging

The Las Piñas–Parañaque Wetland Park is a Ramsar site and a protected ecotourism area in Manila Bay. It stands as Metro Manila's last remaining coastal mangrove frontier, serving as a haven for indigenous and migratory birds that use the mangrove trees as roosts and nesting areas and the mudflats and beach as feeding grounds.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB), for its part, explained the bird strike incidents in NAIA were mostly caused by birds used for pigeon racing.

"Nung nagkaroon ng pag-aaral kung ano ang sources ng birdstrike sa NAIA, lumalabas na ito ay mga racing pigeons...kaya ang naging isa sa mga recommendation ay mag-focus ang management sa bird strikes...at bird avoidance measures sa loob ng NAIA at immediate vicinities," DENR-BMB Wildlife Resources Division Division Chief Anson Tagtag.

(When we studied the sources of birdstrike in NAIA, we found it was due to racing pigeons. That's why one of our recommendations is to focus on managing the bird strike and imposing bird avoidance measures sa loob ng NAIA at immediate vicinities.)

"Kung ang tanong ay pwedeng ilipat, mukhang challenging din ang question na ito dahil sabi ko nga ang buong Manila Bay, is a natural habitat of migratory birds ," he added.

(If the question is if we can relocate, then it may be challenging because the whole expanse of Manila Bay is a natural habitat of migratory birds.) —RF, GMA News