DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 23 October) — Former city vice mayor and incumbent Councilor Bernard Al-ag has urged the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources to hasten the approval for the reopening of Battlefield Tagurano for trekking, which had been closed for about six months now.
A popular recreational trekking site, the Battlefield Tagurano in Barangay Tagurano is located within the strict protection zone (SPZ) of the Mt. Apo Natural Park (MANP). It is one of the city’s two protected areas, the other one being the Malagos Watershed Reserve.
On April 29, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Region 11 (DENR-11) ordered a cease and desist order (CDO) against Battlefield Tagurano due to the “encroachment” of at least nine business establishments in the area. On May 7, the Tagurano barangay government approved a resolution temporarily closing its upland areas following DENR-11’s CDO.
Last October 13, a photo posted on Facebook showed Al-ag, his wife Cherry Ann, an aspirant for councilor in the first district, and other trekkers within the Battlefield Tagurano. The post had since been taken down.
Al-ag, who is running for vice mayor against Mayor Sebastian Duterte, said in an interview on October 15 that he was there “because he was invited” and that he was there “to consult with the people and to know the situation in the area.”
In a deliberation between Al-ag and Councilor Temujin “Tek” Ocampo, chairperson of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, under suspended rules Tuesday morning, the former vice mayor argued that the local government must press the DENR to come up with implementing rules and regulations to open the trail to the public, while ensuring that the residents inside the SPZ will be given opportunities to earn money.
He urged Ocampo and the council to utilize legal remedies to reopen the trail, “as it can boost tourism and it can be economically beneficial in the area.”
If the problem in the reopening of the trekking site is due to the presence of the business establishments, Al-ag said the city should help them get clearances from the DENR’s Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) to make sure they will abide with the laws for protected areas.
“But it’s better to open the trail… My request to Councilor Tek Ocampo, as the committee chair for environment, is to expedite the process involving the temporary closure,” Al-ag said in mixed English and Binisaya.
Al-ag raised this after Ocampo chided him in a speech, where the latter told the former that he “should set an example to the people of Davao City by being a law abider” and that “lawmakers should not be law breakers.”
Ocampo, who was a former GMA News television broadcaster, pointed out that Al-ag allegedly violated Ordinance No. 0675-21, Series of 2021, or An Ordinance Regulating Recreational Activities Within Watershed Conservation Areas of Davao City for the Protection, Conservation, Preservation of the Natural Environment, in visiting Battlefield Tagurano.
Ocampo argued that Al-ag failed to seek approval from the city’s Watershed Management Council nor its barangay counterpart.
He added that Al-ag was denied entry by a designated representative of Barangay Tagurano to enter the SPZ, thus violating Section 5 of the ordinance.
Ocampo said the Davao City government “recently” applied with the DENR to designate a trekking area in Barangay Tagurano in order “for hikers to enjoy our natural environment within our strict protection zone.”
“[But] until this application is approved by the DENR, the trekking site in Tagurano shall remain closed and the business establishments must cease their unlawful operation,” Ocampo said.
In response to Ocampo, Al-ag, who is a known trekker, hiker and marathoner, said that “the hikers and runners in Davao City… they want to contribute to environmental protection.”
In the October 15 interview, Al-ag said the CDO only “prohibited establishments to operate,” and not the entry to the national park.
He emphasized that the starting point of the road going to Battlefield Tagurano is a private property, while the national park is under DENR’s jurisdiction, thus “owned by the public.”
“Dili ko nila [Barangay Tagurano] mapugngan, opisyal man ko sa gobyerno, mokonsulta man ko sa tao, and then gibasa nako ang closure order (The barangay cannot stop me as I am a government official. I went there to consult the people. I read the closure order). The closure order is just for the establishments and for the illegal structures,” Al-ag told reporters then. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)
