No one charged yet for Mt. Apo fire

TWO years after the ill-fated fire incident that razed the portion of Mt. Apo, the country’s highest peak, still no personalities have been charged.

“Based sa investigation ng BFP [Bureau of Fire Protection], wala silang ma pinpoint na suspect kaya walang nakasuhan. Ang BFP ang nag investigate because it's their jurisdiction na. Ang DENR, logistics lang and rehabilitation activities,” Depart- ment of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR 11) Regional Public Affairs Office Public (RPAO) Chief Jayvee Agas said yesterday.

The massive fire that hit Mt. Apo last March 2016 razed some 115 hectares of forests and grassland.

The fire was believed to have been started by trekkers who left a camp fire unattended. It started near the peak of Mt. Apo and quickly spread down to Lake Venado, Kidapawan City and the Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur side of the mountain.

Following the fire, there have been several rehabilitation efforts to restore the areas that were burned.

“Okay na man ang ka-

plus the fact aware na sad ang mga climbers sa mga guidelines ng PAMB before musaka sa taas. Then pag naay naga climb, most especially sa peak season, naa na sad nagabantay from DENR and LGUs sa taas (Mt. Apo now is doing well. Climbers are also now aware of the guidelines set by the PProtected Area Management Board before they go up. If there are climbers, especially during peak season, personnel from the DENR and local government units are also up there to monitor),” she said.

It can be recalled that all the trails leading to Mt. Apo were put under indefinite closure from all climbing activities under the en banc Resolution 1 Series of 2016 and was reopened on April 2017 but with stricter measures. JCR