SOME 12,676 hectares Mt. Sawtooth in Tarlac province has now been declared as a protected area as President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has signed into law Republic Act No. 12237 marking the area as Protected Landscape within the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS).
The protected area is situated in Mayantoc and San Jose.
Mt. Sawtooth is the only protected area in the province.
The law also mandates the creation of a Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) and the designation of a Protected Area Superintendent (PASu).
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said it will oversee the management of the protected area.
Biological surveys conducted in 2019 by the Institute of Biology at the University of the Philippines Diliman, “confirmed the presence of the Mottled-winged flying fox, Orange-fingered myotis, and Rhyncomys tapulao.”
“The area also supports globally threatened species, including the Golden-capped fruit bat, Northern Rufous Hornbill, Philippine Deer, Luzon Bleeding-heart, Luzon Ranged Frog, and Warty pig,” the DENR said.
“This declaration is a testament to our commitment to safeguarding the country’s natural heritage. Mt. Sawtooth is not only a vital ecological corridor but also a symbol of community-led stewardship and inter-agency collaboration,” DENR Regional Executive Director Ralph Pablo said.