TAKING all the present situations into consideration, Mount Apo is not yet ready to be opened to the tourists and mountaineers. It has not yet grown its lush vegetation from the last fire which practically gutted it to the grounds. This adage comes to mind: "It takes one lighted match stick carelessly thrown in a campfire to burn a forest which took centuries to grow into its maximum longevity in life span."
Another adage when lawless elements fight it out with the AFP to get the lands we have: "To concerned citizens, drop seeds not bombs to give balding forests the sure chance to re-grow what are lost in war. Let us be patient. Give Mount Apo the chance to regain its lush greenery as before. Personally, I have this story to prove my point. We built our Davao home on a promontory with the paved Ma-a below.
For my morning exercise while recuperating from an infraction heart attack I walk along the road and this is the bonus. Daily I feast on the epic view of the seven peaks of Mt. Apo with the background of clear cloudless sky which means good clear weather. I feel lonely when I see no peaks just the very cloudy skies on bad weather days. After the last forest fire, I never saw the peaks anymore. The forest is gone.
Now, the Mt. Apo is reopened and Mayor Sara Duterte is alarmed. She had a conference with the Directors of government agencies like the DENR, BOT, Municipal Council to draw restricting laws to stop entering the trail to Mt. Apo at the Mt. Talomo trail in Davao city. This is the location of the watershed providing water to the city and home to the endangered Philippine Eagle, our national bird and home to the Bagobo tribe. With these considerations the City council had promulgated rules and regulations on Eco-tourism programs and the eagerness of mountaineers to enter through the Mt. Talomo trail. Any offenders will be apprehended.
Tour operators must know all rules to safeguard the integrity of the Mt. Apo environment. They must be active in the maintenance of environmental protection and become active partners in preserving this God-given natural heritage for all generations of Filipinos to enjoy it. The healthy and safe life span of the lush species of Flora and fauna and the sustainable biodiversity and ecosystem of Mt. Apo must be preserved.
With all these considerations, I will still vote for not reopening Mt. Apo this time. Give it more time to re-grow its lush vegetation and this will take a longer time. Since there are several trails to reach the peak of the mountain, the local city councils can decide whether they will open their trail or not. I had written about the grandeur of Mount Apo and it is not wasted time to write about it here. Mount Apo is a large solfataric, potentially active volcano. It is a Stratovolcano in Mindanao Island. It has an elevation of 2,954 meters or 9,692 ft. Above sea level. It is the highest mountain in the Philippines. It is the Grandfather of all Philippine mountains and a favorite of every Filipino mountaineer and tourists.
Aside from the Talomo trail there are three well established trails in making a journey to the summit.
1. The Sibulan Mt. Apo peak trail in Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur. It is the most technical and interesting trail because of its narrow and difficult type of trail with its lush vegetation and pristine jungle with a canopy of ecosystem with different flora and fauna (plants and animals). A trail may have a farm trail, jungle trail, and boulders trail before reaching the peak.
2. Ko-ong Kidapawan trail is found in North Cotobato. It has a river trail, jungle, and grassland trails.
3. Kapatagan Trail is found in Digos, Davao del Sur. It is near the Sibulan trail. Tourists admire the Epic Sunset of Mt. Apo and Mystic Sunrise, a balm to anyone's eye. This ends my tribute to Mount Apo, something every Filipino should know.
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