SENATOR Raffy Tulfo raises concern about resorts found at the buffer zones of Mount Apo.
Tulfo, who chairs the Senate committee on energy and committee on migrant workers, said in his privilege speech on Monday, March 18, that the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) allowed resorts to operate in Mount Apo's buffer zones.
He shared that after he aired a program concerning the resort in the Chocolate Hills of Bohol, a mountaineering group caught his attention, claiming there are numerous resorts in the mountain reserve on the Digos City side. The resorts allegedly located in the reserve are the Twin Mountain View Resort, MonteFrio Garden Resort, and Villa Recurso.
“Labas na sa buffer zone ang mga ito, kung pagbabasehan po yung nakita sa Google Earth and comparing it with the map of Mount Apo (This is outside the buffer zone if we base in the Google Earth and comparing it with the map of Mount Apo),” he said.
Tulfo stressed that he was concerned about the welfare of the mountain since it was only last year that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the conservation of the highest peak in the Philippines, which is vying for the United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization (Unesco) list of world heritage sites.
Tulfo said that after Marcos Jr. announced his order in October 2023, PAMB immediately acted on the structures without permits in the multiple-use zones of Mt. Apo in November 2023, and stated that they will look into the decline of forest cover.
“Ang tanong ko po paano nakalusot ang illegal structures na tinawag nila (My question is how did these so-called illegal structures manage to build there?),” he said.
Tulfo expressed that PAMB only implemented a band-aid solution to the illegal structures erected in the area. He added that his office tried to reach out to PAMB about the issue, and PAMB replied that they have an action plan for the structures. PAMB said they have given these structures around two years to clear the area.
“Marami pang problema ang bumabagabag sa Mt. Apo tulad nalang ng [Mt. Apo is plagued by so many problems such as] land conversion settlements, water pollution, introduction of foreign exotic species, presence of large communities, increasing population, destructive and inappropriate livelihood, and poverty in the area,” he said.
The senator then voiced his frustration that despite the multiple laws and agencies tasked with safeguarding the environment, numerous illegal activities are still being done in protected areas. Instead of finding a solution, most of these agencies point hands on which group should be blamed.
SunStar Davao tried reaching out to the DENR-Davao concerning the illegal structures in Mt. Apo, but they said that they would soon issue an official statement on their official Facebook page. RGP
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