Benguet LGU to file raps vs. Cebu tourists over Mt. Pulag fire

The local government of Kabayan, Benguet plans to file charges against tourists responsible for the fire that razed a grassland on Mt. Pulag, GMA News' Connie Sison reported Thursday on Balitanghali.

At least five hectares of grassland on the summit was destroyed by a fire last Saturday which officials later found out was due to a portable burner with a leaking butane canister left at the Saddle Camp by a group of hikers from Cebu.

Kabayan Police personnel said the mountaineers attempted to put the flames out but left after the fire had spread rapidly.

Firefighters from the Bureau of Fire Protection in the Cordillera Autonomous Region (BFP-CAR), who arrived at the scene by 7:10 p.m., declared the flame under control by 8:30 p.m. and out by 9:15 p.m.

The blaze, which started at about 3:00 p.m., destroyed the entire stretch from Saddle Camp to the ridge slopes at the northeastern part of the summit.

Local authorities have allowed trekkers onto some trails of Mt. Pulag as of Thursday after being  declared off-limits due to the incident.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), which launched an investigation, had said in a statement that seven mountaineers led by a certain Kristomar Mackay could face criminal charges for violation of Republic Act No. 7586 or the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act, and Presidential Decree No. 75, also known as the Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines.

The trekkers also received flak on social media from locals and enthusiasts after a portion of the picturesque hiking destination was burned to ashes.

MT. PULAG THE HEARTBREAKING SH*T EVER ???? #MtPulag pic.twitter.com/vBWKdvSVvB

— Millennial Tweets (@MillennialsFTW) January 22, 2018

— Margaret Claire Layug/MDM, GMA News