Dapitan City moves to protect the endangered Philippine tarsier through a landmark ordinance that targets habitat loss and other wildlife threats. (Image: Charles J. Sharp/Wikimedia Creative Commons)
Dapitan City — Spurred by the recent sighting of a Philippine tarsier in a hillside village, officials in this historic southern city are moving to enact one of the region’s most ambitious wildlife protection measures. The move aims to shield one of the country’s most fragile and iconic species from mounting human pressures.
Mayor Evelyn Uy is leading efforts alongside the city council to pass an ordinance establishing a comprehensive legal framework for the protection of the Philippine tarsier, locally called “Basing,” within the city’s territorial jurisdiction.
City Legal Office head Bryne Angelo Brillantes said the proposed ordinance is now “nearing its final hearing.” The measure signals what environmental advocates describe as a significant step toward localized biodiversity governance in Mindanao.
The push gained momentum after a tarsier was recently spotted in Barangay Hilltop, a rare and symbolic encounter that underscored both the presence and vulnerability of the nocturnal primate in the area.
The ordinance seeks to protect not only the species itself — the Philippine tarsier — but also the forests and habitats critical to its survival. It adopts what officials describe as an “integrated approach” to conservation, combining habitat preservation, regulation of ecotourism, scientific monitoring, and community participation.
Under the proposed ordinance, harmful activities such as hunting, illegal wildlife trade, habitat destruction, excessive noise, flash photography, and unauthorized tourism or research activities would be explicitly prohibited.
“This is about creating a secure environment for the species while allowing responsible engagement,” Mayor Uy told city officials during deliberations, emphasizing that conservation and sustainable tourism must coexist carefully.
The ordinance would also designate protected habitats, require regular monitoring and public education campaigns, and mandate coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and other environmental stakeholders. Oversight would fall under a proposed Tarsier Conservation and Protection Management Team.
Officials said the city government sought assistance from the Green Legal Clinic of the Andres Bonifacio College School of Law to help ensure the ordinance was legally and scientifically grounded.
The proposed measure is part of a broader environmental agenda unfolding in Dapitan, including the city’s Greenbelt Zone initiative and a separate ordinance focused on protecting sea turtles, locally known as pawikan.
Brillantes said officials conducted public hearings for both the tarsier and pawikan ordinances on April 14, while the Dapitan City Marine Protected Area Network continues discussions on the Greenbelt Zone.
For local officials, the ordinance represents more than a wildlife measure. It is an attempt to translate national environmental laws into enforceable local action — and to preserve a species found nowhere else on Earth before its shrinking habitat disappears entirely.
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