Mayor asks DENR to clear Sapangbato watershed

Local News Official
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ANGELES CITY -- Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr. has asked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to clear all illegal structures inside the 150-hectare Sapangbato Watershed Protection area.

In a letter to DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga, Lazatin has sought the agency’s “assistance and intervention in taking the necessary enforcement actions, including the issuance of cease-and-desist orders, investigation of violations, and clearing of all illegal structures within the Watershed Protection Area of Angeles City.”

The mayor initiated the move after legal structures had cropped up in the upland areas of the protected areas.

“The City Government of Angeles is prepared to coordinate with your office and other relevant agencies to ensure strict compliance with environmental laws and to safeguard the watershed for future generations,” Lazatin said.

“Our recent field inspection identified several unauthorized structures built in areas with a slope greater than 18%. This violates key provisions of environmental regulations, specifically, Section 15 of Presidential Decree No. 705 (Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines) and other laws aimed at the protection of watershed areas. The development of structures in such steeply sloped areas greatly increases the risks of landslides, soil erosion, and long-term degradation of vital natural resources,” he added.

The mayor stressed that the protection and preservation of the Watershed Protection Area is crucial in ensuring the future of Angelenos and the whole of Pampanga.

Lazatin said Angeles City is already experiencing flooding during the rainy seasonband if the trees in the Sapangbato Watershed disappear, the city and nearby villages in Mabalacat City and the low-lying areas of the City of San Fernando will become catch basins.

During his first term in 2019, Lazatin said he had partnered with the Abacan River and Angeles Watershed-Advocacy Council Inc. (ARAW-ACI), led by businessman Renato “Abong” Tayag Jr., to for reforestation in the area.

The mayor said this effort is aimed to protect the water aquifer which is being affected by the presence of golf courses in the encompassing communities.

The Angeles City LGU led the planting of more than 100,000 trees, along with various organizations like the Converge ICT Solutions, Angeles City Water District, Balibago Waterworks System, Porac Bank, Holy Family Academy Batch ’80, Philippine Academy of Family Physicians Angeles chapter, De La Salle Alumni Association, Inc., ScrubbedNet, Angeles Rotary Club Kuliat, Jocson College, Ocampo’s Jewelry and DKL Manufacturing.

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