KIDAPAWAN CITY — Mount Apo, located at the border of Davao del Sur, North Cotabato and Davao City, is temporarily closed to the public.
According to reports, Mt. Apo is implementing an emergency closure of all trekking activities in Mt. Apo Natural Park due to the threat of grass and forest fires.
It can be recalled that in March 2016, a forest fire erupted on Mt. Apo which affected over 100 hectares.
The suspension of climbing Mount Apo begins on March 20 and ends on March 30, 2024 based on the recommendation of the Mount Apo Natural Park (MANP) and Sub MANP.
The forest fire in March 2016 became the basis of the MANP’s recommendation to close Mount Apo as a preventive measure.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Davao Region (DENR-Davao) also announced this in a Facebook post on March 19.
“We are announcing a ‘temporary suspension of all trekking activities’ from March 20 to March 30, 2024, pursuant to MANP-Protected Area Management Board Executive Committee Resolution No. 1, series of 2024 enacted today, March 19, 2024,” DENR-Davao wrote in the post.
The department said that the closure was also prompted by the ongoing El Niño phenomenon, which may cause bushfires and heavily impact the environment and visitors. The resumption of activities will be considered through the assessments and recommendations of MANP Protected Area Management Office of Davao and Soccsksargen. JPC, RGP
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