Bauko to pursue fencing of Mount Data watershed

By Dexter A. See 

BAUKO, Mountain Province – Mayor Abraham B. Akilit said the municipal government will fence boundary of the Mount Data National Park here to preserve and protect the remaining pine stand that sustains abundant water supply for four major river systems that trace their headwaters to the watershed.

            

Despite the town’s meager resources, Akilit said he wanted national government agencies and stakeholders to help fulfill the ambitious plan of the municipal government to fence the watershed to prevent unscrupulous individuals from further ruining the remaining forest through slash and burn farming.

            

“We pose a challenge to our neighboring municipalities in Benguet to also replicate our environmental preservation and protection efforts in their respective areas of jurisdiction so that we will be able to succeed in the uphill climb to sustain the greenery of our mountains for the benefit of the present and future generations,” Akilitsaid.

He added they will not allow farmers from Benguet to expand commercial vegetables farms into Bauko’s territory and destroy the protected area.

           

While it will take much time and requires substantial resources to realize the implementation of the watershed protection efforts, the local chief executive pointed out the national government will play an important role in the implementation of the desired fencing of the Mount Data National Park because it should provide the required funding support.

           

He urged companies that are exploiting and utilizing water coming from the watershed to also contribute a portion of their reforestation funds to the fencing and preservation of the remaining pine stand in the Cordillera considering that reforestation must not only be confined to the perimeters of their power plants but it should also extend up to the headwaters of the river systems where their power plants are located.

            

“We are saddened over the failure of some companies benefitting from the water coming from upstream of the Chico, Agno, Magat and Abra rivers over their refusal to recognize the important role of upstream communities like Bauko in sustaining the existence of the watershed that supply the abundant water to operate their plants and provide them with guaranteed income,” Akilit said.

He said companies should help implement reforestation projects among communities who were being deprived of projects while the government was wasting billions of people’s money in non-sustainable and event questionable reforestation projects.

            

According to him, included in the annual investment plan of the municipal government will be the fencing of portions of the Mount Data National Park in a staggered manner because of their limited resources while efforts are being done to make representations to send a clear message to the national government that watershed preservation and protection must be given equal importance to that of infrastructure development.