Mayor graces Palawan’s ‘Feast of the Forest’

ANGELES CITY -- Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan joined this year’s Pista Y Ang Cagueban (Feast of the Forest) at Sitio Tagaod, Barangay Irawan in Puerto Prinsesa, Palawan last Saturday.

Pamintuan, along with Miss Earth 2011 Olga Alava from Ecuador and the winners of Miss Earth-Philippines 2012 led by the newly crowned Stephany Stefanowitz, were invited by Puerto Prinsesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn.

The Pista Y Ang Kagueban is a festive reforestation activity of the Irawan Watershed, which is the source of potable water in the whole city.

During the festival, various sectors in government, non-government organizations, members from the academe and visitors trooped to the mountains of Irawan to plant different species of trees as part of Puerto
Prinsesa’s program to reforest denuded lands.

Aside from the tree-planting activities, there were also visits to eco-camping sites, games and contests, and performances by environmental artists.

Pamintuan praised Hagedorn for his undertakings for the protection of the city’s ecosystem.

He said it takes a lot of political will to come out in the open and implore for environmental protection despite several opposition.

“What I have seen here is unprecedented because of the multitude of people who came to support Mayor Hagedorn’s project and we hope we could replicate this in Angeles City,” Pamintuan said.

“While the world is facing a big challenge in the issue of climate change and other calamities such as floods and earthquakes, the city of Puerto Princesa and the province of Palawan is blessed, not only because of its location, but also because of the love of its people to his environment,” Hagedorn said.

Pamintuan was in Puerto Prinsesa on a study-tour accompanied by 28 village chiefs of Angeles City.

The group also toured the Underground River which recently was declared one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature.