THE Protected Area Management Board of Mount Timolan Protected Landscape celebrated last week its 20th Proclamation Anniversary of the protected area with a program and tree-planting activity in Lake Maragang Rainforest Park, Tigbao, Zamboanga del Sur.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Regional Executive Director Crisanta Marlene Rodriguez said that like all other legislated Protected Areas (PAs) under Republic Act (RA) 11038 or the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (E-Nipas) Act of 2018, Mount Timolan Protected Landscape will be establishing and staffing the Protected Area Management Office (Pamo) as well as the construction of its office building.
Rodriguez chairs the Mount Timolan Protected Landscape (MTPL) Protected Area Management Board (PAMB).
Rodriguez said that the Pamo is created specifically for the conservation, protection, management and development of E-Nipas protected areas.
“This would also create employment opportunities for Filipinos nationwide,” she said.
She added that various activities being conducted in MTPL such as biodiversity monitoring, eco-tourism and others to complement the legal status of the MTPL as a legislated protected area under RA 11038.
To help ensure the safety of tourists, Tigbao Mayor Eleazar Carcallas and Abdon Sugabo, Jr., representative of Zamboanga del Sur Governor Victor Yu expressed their commitment in looking for funds for the continuation of a concrete motor lane from the village road in Limas, Tigbao to the ecotourism site in Lake Maragang.
Rodriguez said the other anniversary activities included biodiversity conservation lectures and the conduct of an MTPL PAMB meeting.
This year’s anniversary celebration is anchored on the theme, “Dalawang Dekadang Pangangalaga ng Inang Kalikasan: Ang bukal ng buhay at Likas na Yaman.”
Presidential Proclamation No. 354 declared Mount Timolan situated in the municipalities of Lapuyan, Guipos, San Miguel and Tigbao in Zamboanga del Sur as Mount Timolan Protected Landscape pursuant to RA 7586 or the Nipas Act of 1992. (SunStar Zamboanga)