THE Philippines is poised to match Vietnam as the country with the most Asean Heritage Parks (AHPs), with Mount Balatukan Range Natural Park in Misamis Oriental endorsed as the country’s 15th site.
The announcement was made during the second day of the Asean Heritage Parks Forum 2026 in Quezon City on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026.
The Philippines currently has 14 formally recognized AHPs, while Mount Balatukan is waiting for formal approval by the Asean Ministerial Meeting on the Environment. Once approved, it will become the country’s 15th AHP and the 70th in the regional network. Cambodia’s Prek Toal Ramsar Site is set to become the 71st.
Vietnam currently has 15 AHPs, according to its national biodiversity conservation agency.
The AHP program, Asean’s flagship regional initiative for biodiversity conservation, had 69 formally recognized parks before the two pending designations. The Philippines’ 14 sites include forests, wetlands, marine areas and other protected ecosystems.
Fourteen of the Philippines’ AHPs are managed under the National Integrated Protected Areas System, while the Mount Makiling Forest Reserve is managed by the University of the Philippines Los Baños-Makiling Center for Mountain Ecosystems.
Asean Centre for Biodiversity executive director Jerome Montemayor said protecting heritage parks also safeguards resources and ecosystems that support communities and economies.
“When we safeguard our 14, and soon to be 15, Asean
Heritage Parks in the Philippines and the rest of the AHPs across Southeast Asia, we are securing the water systems that irrigate our farmlands, the natural barriers that buffer our coastlines against severe typhoons, the carbon sinks that mitigate global warming and the ecosystems that drive green and blue economic growth,” Montemayor said.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources Undersecretary Ernesto Adobo Jr. said the heritage parks are not only national assets but also part of Aseans shared natural heritage.
He said AHP managers are regularly brought together for learning exchanges and to share best practices.
“These are not just national treasures, but beyond the protected areas being treated as our national patrimony, these are also Asean rich heritage and treasures that we should all value as Asean citizens,” Adobo said.
The regional network is also expanding beyond the Philippines.
Malaysia recently secured recognition for three new sites: Bako National Park and Lambir Hills National Park in Sarawak and the Tengku Hassanal Wildlife Reserve in Peninsular Malaysia.
Timor-Leste, Asean’s newest member, has identified Nino Konis Santana National Park as a candidate for its first AHP nomination.
As lead Asean member state for protected areas under the Asean Working Group on Nature Conservation and Biodiversity, the Philippines is helping shape the direction of the regional network as it prepares for the 49th Asean Summit in Manila in November. / CAV