Solon pushes army, PNP in ravaged Mt. Data watershed

By Dexter A. See 

BUGUIAS, Benguet – Benguet Rep. Ronald Cosalan urged  deployment of military and police in the tri-boundary of Benguet, Mountain Province and Ifugao and creation of multi--sectoral monitoring task force to abate massive destruction of Mt. Data National Park inflicted by carving out of commercial vegetable farms by farmers and financiers.

Cosalan said this was needed as destruction of the watershed would significantly affect the environment and sources of water of Benguet and Mountain Province.

The congressman said presence of government forces in the area would prevent unscrupulous owners of commercial vegetable farms from continuously intruding into undisturbed portions of the forest reservation and will help in restoring the greenery of the mountains for the benefit of the present and future generations.

 “The protection of our remaining forest reservations should be one of our priorities because they serve as catalysts of clean air and sources of potable water. Let us not hesitate to jointly work for the protection of our remaining watersheds,” Cosalan said.

He said the over 300 hectares of undisturbed forest within the tri-boundary of Benguet, Mountain Province and Ifugao should be preserved and protected from intruders in order to ensure the integrity of the mountains while regreening must also be done in the denuded portions of the watershed to help restore the good state of the environment.

Mount Data is the water source of four major river systems, Agno, Chico, Abra and Magat rivers, which provide abundant water supply to various power generation plants, the 360-megawatt Magat dam in Ifugao, the 105-megawatt Ambuclao dam and the 125-megawatt Binga dam in the towns of Bokod and Itogon, Benguet, respectively and the 345-megawatt San Roque dam in Pangasinan as well as for irrigation, agricultural production and domestic purposes.

Cosalan urged setting up of military or police camp in the tri-boundary so illegal intrusions to the watershed will be averted and for people to realize the benefits of preserving and protecting the environment.

The lawmaker also proposed the creation of a multi-sectoral monitoring task force in order to ensure the strict implementation of forestry and environmental laws and to guarantee the punishment of those who continue to ravage the forest for their own personal needs.

He urged authorities to confiscate heavy equipment used by commercial vegetable farm owners in cutting trees and excavations in the forest to expand their vegetable farms and file appropriate charges against them to send a clear message that government means business in protection of environment.

Cosalan welcomed the plan of Bauko Mayor Abraham B. Akilit to file a writ of kalikasan against the municipal and barangay officials of Buguias and Mankayan to compel them to stop their respective constituents from continuously expanding their commercial vegetable farms into the undisturbed portions of the watershed which could compromise the state of the environment in the area in the coming years.

Akilit is set to file the writ of kalikasan against the two Benguet municipalities within the next several weeks as his lawyers are now finalizing the said writ which will be filed before the Supreme Court.