Tulfo says resorts constructed along Mt. Apo

Following reports of a controversial resort within the Chocolate Hills, Senator Raffy Tulfo on Monday said there were also resorts along the protected area of Mount Apo in Davao.

Tulfo said a group of mountaineers called his attention to the construction of several establishments in the Mt. Apo National Reserve.

According to a report on 24 Oras, Tulfo said these establishments and businesses are illegal since these are located within the Mt. Apo protected area.

“Labas na sa buffer zone itong mga ito (These are outside the buffer zone), kung ang pagbabasehan ay ang nakita namin sa Google Earth and comparing it with the map of Mount Apo,” the senator said.

Tulfo said when his office contacted the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the agency said it gave the illegal establishments two years to vacate the area.

The senator said the establishments should not have been there in the first place.

GMA Integrated News reached out to the DENR for comment and will share it once they have responded.
 
In October 2023, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. joined calls for the inclusion of the country’s highest peak in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) list of World Heritage Sites.

“This statement of President BBM was sometime in October 2023, at dahil dito, parang nasilaban ang mga upuan ng mga taga PAMB o Protected Area Management Board ng Mount Apo,” he said.

“By November 2023, agad sila nagpatawag ng meeting upang aksyonan ang mga illegal structures  without permits in the Multiple Use Zones of Mt. Apo and look into decline in the forest cover.  Ang tanong ko, paano nakalusot itong mga illegal structures?” said Tulfo.

“Ano ba talaga silbi ng PAMB?  Bakit parang display lang sila sa mga protected areas natin?“ the senator added.

PAMB is mandated to exercise management authority over buffer zones on behalf of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. It is likewise required to initiate and ensure participatory management in the buffer zone together with the local government units, and other stakeholders.

However, Tulfo said that instead of protecting the buffer zone along Mt. Apo, the PAMB reportedly implemented “band aid solutions” against the violators.

“Imbis na magpatupad ng mga positibong aksyon para protektahan ang Mt. Apo, sila ay nag-iimplement na lamang ng band-aid solutions sa mga nakalusot na violators,” the legislator added.

DENR clarification

According to Maki Pulido's report on 24 Oras on Monday, the DENR clarified that the PAMB is not among its agencies. The report said the PAMB, which is established in each site that has a protected area, is made up of representatives from local government units, the academe, and non-government organizations.

"DENR is not the PAMB. The DENR is a member of PAMB... we chair the PAMB. We don’t even have voting rights in the PAMB except in case of a tie," said DENR Undersecretary Juan Miguel Cuna.

Under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (E-NIPAS) Act of 2018, the powers and functions of the PAMB include: oversee the management of a protected area; approve related polices, plans and programs; allocate financial resources for the implementation of the management plan of the protected area and manage the Protected Area Retention Income Account and other funds; and, recommend policy changes to DENR and other governing authorites, among others.

The DENR is empowered to designate the appropriate chairperson of each PAMB.

Senate inquiry

Meanwhile, Tulfo also expressed support for Senator Nancy Binay who called for a legislative inquiry into the construction of the Captain’s Peak Resort in Bohol.

“I hope that we could also look into other nature reserves and parks that are also being overlooked by the DENR, lalo na itong sa Mt. Apo,” he said.

“Tama na po ang turuan.  Dapat po, akuan ng obligasyon, kasi sino po ba makikinabang kundi tayong lahat din naman, ang ating mga anak, apo at susunod pang mga henerasyon,” he added. 

(Let's stop the finger-pointing. We should take this obligation seriously, who else will benefit but all of us, our children, our grandchildren and the succeeding generations.)—RF/VDV, GMA Integrated News