KABAYAN,
Benguet — The Department of Public Works and Highways will construct a
P124 million-road network leading to Mount Pulag here, Benguet Rep. Ronald
Cosalan said last week even as he asked regional police officials to identify,
arrest and prosecute those responsible for the destruction of a wide portion of
the mountain.
Mount
Pulag is a national park and one of the most popular eco-tourism sites in the
Cordillera Administrative Region.
The
mountain is some 300 km north of Manila. It stands majestically at some 3,000
feet above sea level with a base of some 100 sq. km. It is the second tallest
mountain in the country and serves as the widest watershed in northern Luzon.
The
congressman, however, said the priority concern of the government is to stop
the further denudation of the mountain by unidentified tract farmers who even
use backhoe and other heavy equipment to convert a wide forested area into
vegetable farms.
Records
show that in the recent courtesy call of Police Chief Supt. Isagani Nerez,
newly–installed regional director of the Police Regional Office Cordillera ,
Cosalan asked the police officer to lead the arrest of those responsible for
destruction of the mountain.
Cosalan
said he also asked Provincial Prosecutor William Bacoling to work with the
authorities for the prosecution of whoever led in the wanton denudation of the
mountain.
Department
of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) executive regional director
Clarence Baguilat was also tasked to coordinate the rehabilitation of the
destroyed portions of the mountain, which since the late 1970’s was popular to
local and foreign mountain climbers due to its almost freezing temperatures at
its peak, aside from affording a rare view of three of its mountain lakes and
unique wild games such as clouded rat.
Cosalan
had already met with Mayor Mauricio Makay of Bokod, Benguet and Mayor Faustino
Aquisan of Kabayan, Benguet. The two have jurisdictions on Mount Pulag.
”While
we work for these roads towards the mountain, we have to see to it that the
vast economic potentials in terms of watersheds as well as the eco-tourism
endowments of Mount Pulag must be preserved, even if it means that we have to
prosecute any person or persons who already caused substantial damage to the
surroundings,” he said.
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