ALTHOUGH there has been no resolution released yet to close the country’s highest peak from mountain climbers, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Davao Region said that some local government units (LGUs) issued an advisory banning them due to safety risks following the frequent tremors.
DENR-Davao Regional Public Affairs Office (RPAO) chief Jayvee Agas said on Thursday, October 31, that there is no temporary closure in the protected area but rather an advisory.
“There’s no temporary closure as of now and it’s only PAMB (Protected Area Management Board) who can declare closure. Instead, climbers are given an advisory to reschedule their climb habang may mga lindol pa tayong nararanasan, for their safety,” Agas said.
DENR-Davao, in an official statement posted on its Facebook page, maintained that there is no official directive yet coming from PAMB to close the mountain from climbers.
However, some of the LGUs opted to close it from any climbing activity to protect the climbers or trekkers from danger like landslides brought about by strong shaking.
“While it is a fact that there is no resolution from PAMB declaring temporary closure of Mt. Apo due to the frequent jolts in Mindanao, the Local Government Units (LGUs) have initiated closure of Sta. Cruz, Digos, and Bansalan trails,” the DENR 11 statement read.
There are seven trails going to Mt. Apo peak namely Sta. Cruz, Bansalan, Digos City, Kidapawan City, Makilala, Magpet, and in Barangay Tamayong, Calinan, Davao City.
“The LGUs have released an advisory regarding the postponement and rescheduling of climbs until further notice that it is safe for climbers already. The safety of the climbers is of utmost priority,” DENR added.
Meanwhile, DENR reminds everyone to be vigilant. On Thursday, a 6.5 magnitude jolted parts of Mindanao with the epicenter located in Tulunan, Cotabato just days after the 6.6 magnitude rocked the island.