Binay wants stricter environment policies for tourism sites

Senate committee chair on tourism Sen. Nancy Binay wants more stringent environment policies for tourism sites to avoid a recurrence of the recent fire on Mt. Pulag.

In a statement, the senator asked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and local government units to be more strict in implementing environmental rules at various tourist destinations.

Binay’s call was prompted by the recent fire that struck Mt. Pulag in the Cordillera Administrative Region, which is popular among trekkers.

Based on reports, the fire was caused by a gas stove left by tourists visiting the area.

Apart from urging the DENR and local government units to be more stringent in the implementation of environmental laws, Binay also said climbers should be more responsible.

She added that climbers have the responsibility to safeguard and protect the mountain.

Mt. Pulag, Luzon’s highest mountain, attracts many climbers hop- ing to catch a glimpse of its famed “sea of clouds.” It was proclaimed a National Park through Presidential Proclamation No. 75 in 1987.

The proclamation prohibits the “destruction of any vegetation or any act causing disturbances to the habitat of wildlife.”

The 2,922-meter-high mountain hosts a variety of flora and fauna, including endemic plants like the dwarf bamboo and Benguet pine, as well threatened mammals such as the Philippine brown deer, Northern Luzon giant cloud rat and Luzon pygmy fruit bat.

Binay expressed support for the move of the Cordillera Office of Civil Defense to indefinitely suspend all hiking and trekking activities after the fire.

“Tourism will be definitely affected by the move, but it is better to allow the grass to regrow and return to its state before the fire,” she said.

Around three hectares of grassland were burned in the fire, according to reports.

The Mount Pulag National Park Protected Area Office has closed the mountain during Fridays to Sundays from January to May this year, as trekkers and hikers have already filled up the slots for the weekends. The mountain can accommodate only around 300 to 400 climbers per day.