BY JP LOPEZ
SEN. Miriam Defensor Santiago yesterday described Angelo Reyes as an "incompetent" member of the Cabinet and unfit to head the Department of Energy.
"I respectfully submit to President Arroyo that Reyes is simply the wrong, maybe the worst, choice. As an ex-general, he has lorded it over the various departments of defense, local governments, and environment without a demonstrably deep grasp of the issues involved in those offices. For him to continue in the Cabinet would be to indulge the incompetent," Santiago said.
The energy department is the fourth given to Reyes by President Arroyo. Reyes, a retired military general and former AFP chief who was instrumental in the ouster of President Joseph Estrada, was first given the defense portfolio then the interior department and third, the environment department.
President Arroyo named former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza as DENR chief.
Reyes said his record in the departments that he headed would speak for itself.
Reyes said that when he accepted his post as DENR secretary, he had no experience, and the same was true when he accepted his other posts.
"The first thing I do when I’m given a job over which I have no experience is I accept my ignorance then start to learn and gain experience and even master the craft," he said.
Santiago threatened to use her veto power in the Commission on Appointments if Reyes does not decline his new appointment. He was named to replace Raphael Lotilla who resigned.
"I am serving notice that I will invoke Section 20 of the CA Rules, which allows one member to veto any nomination. He is unfit… He should only hold a position that calls for military knowledge and training," Santiago said.
Ironically, Santiago is one of those calling for curbs on the exercise of Section 20 of the rules of the CA.
She said as a lawyer acquainted with energy law, "I had to educate myself for three years before I became familiar with this sunrise industry."
Santiago was chairman of the Senate energy committee and of the bicameral Joint Congressional Power Commission in the last three years.
Santiago blamed Reyes for the "unforgivable fiasco" regarding the grant of a DENR permit to a Korean firm planning to build a tourist spa near Taal volcano.
She said Reyes stopped the plan only after media exposed the brewing environmental scandal.
Santiago disagreed with Executive Secretary Ermita’s statement that Reyes did well at the DENR and his other prior posts.
"If he was doing good in all those departments, why was he kicked around like a political football? It only means he is surplusage in the Cabinet. Why is it is so important to accommodate him? There are dozens of available younger, brilliant civilians with expertise. Reyes is sentimental bric-a-brac who was washed ashore because of the turbulence of people power," she said.
Environment lawyers from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines said Arroyo was showing "bad environmental governance" in having five secretaries at the DENR in her six years in office.
Antonio Oposa Jr., chairman of the IBP-National Environmental Action, said the Arroyo administration is showing "cavalier treatment" of the Office of the DENR Secretary.
He said this results in "discontinuity of policy and programs" that the replaced secretaries had already started and is "symptomatic of the very low priority" given by the government to environmental protection.
Oposa is a UP- and Harvard-trained lawyer and author of books on environmental law and policy. He was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines Award for his work in the field of environmental enforcement as part of the group Tanggol Kalikasan.
"We do not question the qualification of Mr. Atienza to head the DENR; that will be treated in the confirmation proceedings. However, we take issue that changing secretaries almost every year is a grave abuse of that discretion," Oposa said.
Since 2001, the DENR has had five secretaries – Heherson Alvarez (March 2001-December 2002), Elisea Gozun (December 2002-August 2004), Michael Defensor (September 2004-February 2006), Angelo Reyes (February 2006 to present) and Atienza.
But Greenpeace campaigns director Von Hernandez said Atienza "does not have a significantly impressive track record on the environment" even during his stint as Manila mayor.
Under Atienza’s stewardship, Manila failed to effectively implement the Ecological Waste Management Act, he said.
"The appointment of Mr. Lito Atienza and Secretary Angelo Reyes to these important Cabinet portfolios demonstrates once again how the custody and safekeeping of the national patrimony is being parcelled out as payback for political fealty," he said.
Clemente Bautista, national coordinator of Kalikasan People’s-Network for the Environment, said Atienza lacked significant environmental initiatives.
"When he was mayor, Atienza approved the cutting of centuries-old trees in the Arroceros Forest Park, including ancient narra, molave, balete, rubber and acacia trees. Do we really want such a person as Environment Secretary?" he said.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said Atienza is qualified and capable of addressing whatever misgivings some groups have.
"The President is very confident that he will be able to fully discharge his duties and responsibilities as secretary of environment and as a member of her official family," he said.
President Arroyo ordered Reyes to prioritize the privatization of several energy assets, including the generation and transmission assets of the National Power Corp.
Arroyo, at the opening of the Luzon Urban Beltway Infrastructure Conference at the Subic Bay International Airport Terminal Lounge at the Subic Freeport Zone, also said she would ask Congress to prioritize the amendment of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira).
The President said her two directives are part of efforts to lower the cost of electricity.
She said Luzon needs at least 150 megawatts of additional power by 2010. While this could be covered by the $350 million expansion of Pagbilao plant by Marubeni and Tokyo Electric that would account for an additional 350 megawatts, she said power rates remain high.
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Illegal Fishing Threatening Whale Sharks, NGO Says
Release from: Inquirer News Service
DONSOL, Sorsogon, Philippines -- Environmental activists are asking government to stop illegal fishing in this town made famous by whale sharks that have made its waters a feeding ground.
They warned that unless illegal fishing was stopped, the whale sharks would leave the area and could put an end to a tourism industry that has helped this town survive economically.
Members of the Task Force Sagip Kalikasan-Bantay Karagatan said illegal fishing vessels, locally known as pangulong, continue to operate in Donsol waters despite efforts to stop them. The vessels use strong lights and very fine mesh nets.
Donsol is dubbed as the Whale Shark Capital of the World because of the presence of the whale sharks, locally known as butanding (Rhincodon typus) in its municipal waters.
"It will greatly affect the whale sharks because the pangulong is operating directly in the municipal waters," Ding Manrique, TFSK-BK chair, told the Inquirer.
He said although the whale sharks feed on small fishes, the very fine mesh nets being used by the pangulong will also catch the whale sharks' food.
The pangulong has a fleet of three vessels, with super lights and fine mesh nets, and a carrier.
It sometimes uses a sonar boat to conceal its location while looking for a fishing spot.
"If the coastal area and the feeding ground of the butandings will be destroyed because of the pangulong operations, the whale sharks will be affected," said Jun Narvadez of Tanggol Kalikasan, which helped organize the TFSK-BK and provides training and legal assistance.
"Pangulong operations started many years ago in Donsol because of the richness of waters in different kinds of fish," according to Manrique.
There are about 15 pangulong fleets currently operating in Donsol, allegedly with protection from ranking police officials in the region, the Inquirer learned.
"Pity the small fishermen because their means of living is affected. These vessels sometimes fire guns at them or hit them with their bigger vessels and they end up going home without a catch," he said.
Manrique said illegal fishers are armed and the police are not helping the residents drive away the illegal fishermen.
"Sadly, we have the PNP in our composite team but they seem to abandon us when we ask for assistance," Manrique said.
He revealed that they requested assistance from the municipal police on Sept. 6 but were told that a unit from the region will help them instead.
DONSOL, Sorsogon, Philippines -- Environmental activists are asking government to stop illegal fishing in this town made famous by whale sharks that have made its waters a feeding ground.
They warned that unless illegal fishing was stopped, the whale sharks would leave the area and could put an end to a tourism industry that has helped this town survive economically.
Members of the Task Force Sagip Kalikasan-Bantay Karagatan said illegal fishing vessels, locally known as pangulong, continue to operate in Donsol waters despite efforts to stop them. The vessels use strong lights and very fine mesh nets.
Donsol is dubbed as the Whale Shark Capital of the World because of the presence of the whale sharks, locally known as butanding (Rhincodon typus) in its municipal waters.
"It will greatly affect the whale sharks because the pangulong is operating directly in the municipal waters," Ding Manrique, TFSK-BK chair, told the Inquirer.
He said although the whale sharks feed on small fishes, the very fine mesh nets being used by the pangulong will also catch the whale sharks' food.
The pangulong has a fleet of three vessels, with super lights and fine mesh nets, and a carrier.
It sometimes uses a sonar boat to conceal its location while looking for a fishing spot.
"If the coastal area and the feeding ground of the butandings will be destroyed because of the pangulong operations, the whale sharks will be affected," said Jun Narvadez of Tanggol Kalikasan, which helped organize the TFSK-BK and provides training and legal assistance.
"Pangulong operations started many years ago in Donsol because of the richness of waters in different kinds of fish," according to Manrique.
There are about 15 pangulong fleets currently operating in Donsol, allegedly with protection from ranking police officials in the region, the Inquirer learned.
"Pity the small fishermen because their means of living is affected. These vessels sometimes fire guns at them or hit them with their bigger vessels and they end up going home without a catch," he said.
Manrique said illegal fishers are armed and the police are not helping the residents drive away the illegal fishermen.
"Sadly, we have the PNP in our composite team but they seem to abandon us when we ask for assistance," Manrique said.
He revealed that they requested assistance from the municipal police on Sept. 6 but were told that a unit from the region will help them instead.
Thursday, July 15, 2004
Pawikan predators become protectors
Author: Delfin T. Mallari Jr.
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer
FROM a community that had long feasted on sea turtles, the people of Cagbalete
Island in Mauban, Quezon, have become protectors of the gentle marine creature.
"The transformation of the residents from predators to protectors of endangered
species is an inspiration," said Jay Lim, community coordinator of the Tanggol
Kalikasan-Southern Luzon, an environment legal defense center based in Lucena
City."It only shows that the government and an enlightened citizenry can make a great difference in environmental protection."
A video documentation by the Tanggol Kalikasan showed residents and barangay
officials of Cagbalete narrating their experiences with the marine turtles locally known as "pawikan." The island is 30 minutes by boat from Mauban, which faces the Lamon Bay where the pawikan thrives.
Five months ago, Mayor Fernando Llamas created the Task Force Kalikasan to stop
the widespread killing of the pawikan.
Llamas also formed the Bantay Pawikan and stationed it in Cagbalete to educate the villagers on environmental laws and the situation of sea turtles and other
endangered marine species that are also found in the Lamon Bay.
Section 97 of the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 prohibits "fishing or taking of rare, threatened or endangered species." Marine turtle poaching is punishable by 12 to 20 years imprisonment.
Endangered species
The pawikan is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources and in the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
Cagbalete Councilor Juanito de la Cruz said that over the five months since the
Bantay Pawikan was established on the island, 19 turtles of different species had been released back into the sea. They include the binalimbing (leatherback sea turtle), sinisihan (green sea turtle), and palahan (hawksville), he said.
In the video footage, a young green sea turtle was shown being put back into the
sea amid joyful farewell by throngs of village children.
"We just attach a corresponding tag in its flippers and we immediately set the
creature free and back to the sea," De la Cruz said.
Last month, the village released at least 10 hatchlings, said another barangay
councilor, Aniceto Rapoli.
"Whenever a pawikan dies, we no longer butcher it. We bury the whole turtle to
emphasize to our people that eating them the way we used to is against the law," he said.
The residents recalled that in the past, no village fiesta was complete without serving pawikan meat as one of the special dishes, or as spicy "pulutan" (bar chow) in drinking sessions.
Roman Malabad, Cagbalete barangay chair, said that before the ban, the villagers
used to catch marine turtles with fish nets and spears, not only for home
consumption, but also for selling.
Lim said that former turtle hunters in the village had disclosed to him that they also accepted orders from whoever wanted to buy a big volume of pawikan meat.
"They sold the meat in kilos. The price would depend on the supply," he said.
The dried carapace of the sea turtle usually commanded at least P400 each from
souvenir hunters based in Manila.
Councilor Eddie Malubay, chair of the barangay council's committee on environment and natural resources, said the municipal government had also declared Cagbalete, with its long stretch of white-sand beach, a tourist destination.
Malabad said whale sharks (butanding), dolphins and sea cows had already been
spotted in the Lamon Bay.
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer
FROM a community that had long feasted on sea turtles, the people of Cagbalete
Island in Mauban, Quezon, have become protectors of the gentle marine creature.
"The transformation of the residents from predators to protectors of endangered
species is an inspiration," said Jay Lim, community coordinator of the Tanggol
Kalikasan-Southern Luzon, an environment legal defense center based in Lucena
City."It only shows that the government and an enlightened citizenry can make a great difference in environmental protection."
A video documentation by the Tanggol Kalikasan showed residents and barangay
officials of Cagbalete narrating their experiences with the marine turtles locally known as "pawikan." The island is 30 minutes by boat from Mauban, which faces the Lamon Bay where the pawikan thrives.
Five months ago, Mayor Fernando Llamas created the Task Force Kalikasan to stop
the widespread killing of the pawikan.
Llamas also formed the Bantay Pawikan and stationed it in Cagbalete to educate the villagers on environmental laws and the situation of sea turtles and other
endangered marine species that are also found in the Lamon Bay.
Section 97 of the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 prohibits "fishing or taking of rare, threatened or endangered species." Marine turtle poaching is punishable by 12 to 20 years imprisonment.
Endangered species
The pawikan is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources and in the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
Cagbalete Councilor Juanito de la Cruz said that over the five months since the
Bantay Pawikan was established on the island, 19 turtles of different species had been released back into the sea. They include the binalimbing (leatherback sea turtle), sinisihan (green sea turtle), and palahan (hawksville), he said.
In the video footage, a young green sea turtle was shown being put back into the
sea amid joyful farewell by throngs of village children.
"We just attach a corresponding tag in its flippers and we immediately set the
creature free and back to the sea," De la Cruz said.
Last month, the village released at least 10 hatchlings, said another barangay
councilor, Aniceto Rapoli.
"Whenever a pawikan dies, we no longer butcher it. We bury the whole turtle to
emphasize to our people that eating them the way we used to is against the law," he said.
The residents recalled that in the past, no village fiesta was complete without serving pawikan meat as one of the special dishes, or as spicy "pulutan" (bar chow) in drinking sessions.
Roman Malabad, Cagbalete barangay chair, said that before the ban, the villagers
used to catch marine turtles with fish nets and spears, not only for home
consumption, but also for selling.
Lim said that former turtle hunters in the village had disclosed to him that they also accepted orders from whoever wanted to buy a big volume of pawikan meat.
"They sold the meat in kilos. The price would depend on the supply," he said.
The dried carapace of the sea turtle usually commanded at least P400 each from
souvenir hunters based in Manila.
Councilor Eddie Malubay, chair of the barangay council's committee on environment and natural resources, said the municipal government had also declared Cagbalete, with its long stretch of white-sand beach, a tourist destination.
Malabad said whale sharks (butanding), dolphins and sea cows had already been
spotted in the Lamon Bay.
Monday, July 12, 2004
Cult violatesBananahaw rules; 14 members held
By Delfin Mallari Jr., Inquirer Southern Luzon Bureau
Inquirer News Service
LUCENA CITY-Police arrested 14 cult members for illegally building structures on Mt. Banahaw, a protected area. The arrested cult members were identified as Bienvenido Nombres, Pedro Precilla, Anacleto Pia, Crisanto Mina, Cresencio Pantoja, Noli Andal, Aniano Comia, Cesar Andal, Eugenio Pades, Josephine Tolosa, Consolocion Pades, Enriqua Ponsal, Rommel de la Torre, and Erick Dimaano. They are members of the Banahaw-based cult Suprema de la Iglesia de la Ciudad Mistica de Dios (Mistica) based in Barangay Sta. Lucia in Dolores, Quezon.
Sally Pangan, park area supervisor of the Mt. Banahaw-San Cristobal Protected Landscape Area, filed a complaint at the municipal trial court of Dolores accusing the 14 of violating the National Integrated Protected Areas Systems Act of 1992 or Nipas. Based on a video made by Jay Lim, community coordinator of Tanggol Kalikasan-Southern Luzon, an environmental legal defense center, government authorities caught the suspects in the act of putting up the additional portion of a concrete structure at the entrance of Kuweba ng Diyos Ama (Cave of God the Father), one of the cult's spots on the mountain.
"It seemed that they still acted as the owners of the structures because they never stopped working on it despite the fact that it was no longer under their concern," Lim said. Sacks of sand, aggregates, bags of cement, steel bars and piles of tegula roofing materials were scattered around the construction site. Lim said the construction materials were hauled atop the mountain site with the use of ropes and pulleys. At the police station, Isabel Suarez, the recognized leader of Mistica and referred to by its members as "Suprema," admitted responsibility for the construction work.
She appealed to Insp. Fernando Reyes III, Dolores police station chief, to release the suspects under her custody but the police denied the request. It was learned that several hours later, all the cult members were released after posting P6,000 bail each.
In 1998, Mistica constructed the concrete building, which according to the religious sect, would serve as a common resting place and restroom for all mountain pilgrims. But the Department of Environment and Natural Resources ordered the religious cult to stop the construction.
Inquirer News Service
LUCENA CITY-Police arrested 14 cult members for illegally building structures on Mt. Banahaw, a protected area. The arrested cult members were identified as Bienvenido Nombres, Pedro Precilla, Anacleto Pia, Crisanto Mina, Cresencio Pantoja, Noli Andal, Aniano Comia, Cesar Andal, Eugenio Pades, Josephine Tolosa, Consolocion Pades, Enriqua Ponsal, Rommel de la Torre, and Erick Dimaano. They are members of the Banahaw-based cult Suprema de la Iglesia de la Ciudad Mistica de Dios (Mistica) based in Barangay Sta. Lucia in Dolores, Quezon.
Sally Pangan, park area supervisor of the Mt. Banahaw-San Cristobal Protected Landscape Area, filed a complaint at the municipal trial court of Dolores accusing the 14 of violating the National Integrated Protected Areas Systems Act of 1992 or Nipas. Based on a video made by Jay Lim, community coordinator of Tanggol Kalikasan-Southern Luzon, an environmental legal defense center, government authorities caught the suspects in the act of putting up the additional portion of a concrete structure at the entrance of Kuweba ng Diyos Ama (Cave of God the Father), one of the cult's spots on the mountain.
"It seemed that they still acted as the owners of the structures because they never stopped working on it despite the fact that it was no longer under their concern," Lim said. Sacks of sand, aggregates, bags of cement, steel bars and piles of tegula roofing materials were scattered around the construction site. Lim said the construction materials were hauled atop the mountain site with the use of ropes and pulleys. At the police station, Isabel Suarez, the recognized leader of Mistica and referred to by its members as "Suprema," admitted responsibility for the construction work.
She appealed to Insp. Fernando Reyes III, Dolores police station chief, to release the suspects under her custody but the police denied the request. It was learned that several hours later, all the cult members were released after posting P6,000 bail each.
In 1998, Mistica constructed the concrete building, which according to the religious sect, would serve as a common resting place and restroom for all mountain pilgrims. But the Department of Environment and Natural Resources ordered the religious cult to stop the construction.
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Mount Banahaw yields new species of animal
By Volt Contreras
Inquirer News Service
A TEAM of Filipino and American biologists has discovered a small mouse-like mammal, which experts say may not be found anywhere else in the world. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources announced on Thursday that the newly discovered species of animal was found in the mystical Mount Banahaw.
The DENR said initial examination of the animal indicates it was not related to any member of the rodent family or other species known to inhabit Banahaw or the rest of the Luzon region.
The animal was described as having the features of a mouse -- its body 8 centimeters long with a 10-cm tail. Its head is considerably bigger in proportion to the body and has ''whiskers five times'' the width of the head. Weighing about 15 grams, the animal sports a coat of brown to yellowish fur.
Its discoverers also noted the animal's heavily muscled jaws, which they said might explain its unique diet: It is the only forest dweller who can bite open and eat the nuts of the Kalomala tree, which is predominant in the mountain.
The creature was found two weeks ago near a slash-and-burn (kaingin) area by a team composed of Dr. Lawrence Heaney of the Field Museum of Natural History at the University of Chicago; Dr. Eric Rickart of the Utah Museum of Natural History; Danilo Balete of LaksamBuhay Conservation; representatives from the Philippine National Museum.
The lone sample found will be shipped to the US for further study.
Inquirer News Service
A TEAM of Filipino and American biologists has discovered a small mouse-like mammal, which experts say may not be found anywhere else in the world. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources announced on Thursday that the newly discovered species of animal was found in the mystical Mount Banahaw. The DENR said initial examination of the animal indicates it was not related to any member of the rodent family or other species known to inhabit Banahaw or the rest of the Luzon region.
The animal was described as having the features of a mouse -- its body 8 centimeters long with a 10-cm tail. Its head is considerably bigger in proportion to the body and has ''whiskers five times'' the width of the head. Weighing about 15 grams, the animal sports a coat of brown to yellowish fur.
Its discoverers also noted the animal's heavily muscled jaws, which they said might explain its unique diet: It is the only forest dweller who can bite open and eat the nuts of the Kalomala tree, which is predominant in the mountain.
The creature was found two weeks ago near a slash-and-burn (kaingin) area by a team composed of Dr. Lawrence Heaney of the Field Museum of Natural History at the University of Chicago; Dr. Eric Rickart of the Utah Museum of Natural History; Danilo Balete of LaksamBuhay Conservation; representatives from the Philippine National Museum.
The lone sample found will be shipped to the US for further study.
Friday, March 26, 2004
Case of missing waterfall Puzzles environmentalists
By Delfin T. Mallari Jr.
Inquirer News Serv
LUCENA CITY -- A group of foreign environmental lawyers are alarmed that a once-vibrant waterfall on Mount Banahaw, a famous pilgrimage and mountaineering site in Quezon province, has disappeared.
Community coordinator Jay Lim of Tanggol Kalikasan-Southern Luzon, a public interest environmental law center, said barristers from Kenya, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia were startled when told that the trickling water beneath the vines and shrubs in front of them used to be the majestic Cristalino Falls.
Lim told newsmen: "They were shocked. They kept asking, 'Where's the falls?' I could not hide my embarrassment. I had to assure them that not all waterfalls in the country had suffered the same fate."
And to save face, he said, he painstakingly explained to the visitors multi-sectoral efforts to save and protect Banahaw, often called "Mystical Mountain."
Lim had taken on a guided tour of the site several foreign participants in the 4th All-Asia Public Interest Law Conference being held at Villa Escudero in Tiaong town.
Cristalino Falls is on the mountain's Dolores town side. With its crystal-clear waters, the falls used to be the first stop for mountaineers and pilgrims seeking to cool down with a shower or quench their thirst.
"Several years ago, one could still hear the roar of the waterfall," Lim said. "Now we have no choice but to temporarily seal some major parts of the mountain to protect them from intrusion."
The Protected Area Management Board, a multi-sectoral group tasked by the government to safeguard the area, passed a resolution two weeks ago that would enforce a five-year closure, starting this Holy Week, of Mounts Banahaw and San Cristobal Protected Landscape.
Manny Calayag, Dolores town municipal and natural resources officer, earlier stressed that one of the board's aims was to save the mountain from further destruction, which contaminates the town's water source.
At least 35 foreign environmentalist lawyers from 14 countries were attending the international conference. The secretariat said two other groups visited Tayabas Bay and Taal Volcano, where conservation is also being attempted through integrated area management.
Inquirer News Serv
LUCENA CITY -- A group of foreign environmental lawyers are alarmed that a once-vibrant waterfall on Mount Banahaw, a famous pilgrimage and mountaineering site in Quezon province, has disappeared.
Community coordinator Jay Lim of Tanggol Kalikasan-Southern Luzon, a public interest environmental law center, said barristers from Kenya, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia were startled when told that the trickling water beneath the vines and shrubs in front of them used to be the majestic Cristalino Falls.
Lim told newsmen: "They were shocked. They kept asking, 'Where's the falls?' I could not hide my embarrassment. I had to assure them that not all waterfalls in the country had suffered the same fate."
And to save face, he said, he painstakingly explained to the visitors multi-sectoral efforts to save and protect Banahaw, often called "Mystical Mountain."
Lim had taken on a guided tour of the site several foreign participants in the 4th All-Asia Public Interest Law Conference being held at Villa Escudero in Tiaong town.
Cristalino Falls is on the mountain's Dolores town side. With its crystal-clear waters, the falls used to be the first stop for mountaineers and pilgrims seeking to cool down with a shower or quench their thirst.
"Several years ago, one could still hear the roar of the waterfall," Lim said. "Now we have no choice but to temporarily seal some major parts of the mountain to protect them from intrusion."
The Protected Area Management Board, a multi-sectoral group tasked by the government to safeguard the area, passed a resolution two weeks ago that would enforce a five-year closure, starting this Holy Week, of Mounts Banahaw and San Cristobal Protected Landscape.
Manny Calayag, Dolores town municipal and natural resources officer, earlier stressed that one of the board's aims was to save the mountain from further destruction, which contaminates the town's water source.
At least 35 foreign environmentalist lawyers from 14 countries were attending the international conference. The secretariat said two other groups visited Tayabas Bay and Taal Volcano, where conservation is also being attempted through integrated area management.
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