Agusan Norte solon files bill to protect the revered Mt. Mayapay

BUTUAN CITY - After diligent refinement and rigorous consultation with various stakeholders, House Bill No. 2900 was finally filed in Congress by Rep. Lawrence “Law” Fortun (1^st District, Agusan del Norte) seeking to establish the Mount Mayapay Natural Park (MMNP) and thereby protect it from further degradation.

The bill entitled: An Act Establishing the Mt. Mayapay Natural Park (MMNP) Situated in Butuan City and the Municipality of Buenavista in Agusan del Norte, As Protected Area, Providing for its Management Pursuant to Law, And for Other Purposes was filed by Fortun amid several poaching and illegal activities in the esteemed plateau which has caused its deterioration.

In his explanatory note, Fortun emphasized that “the bill seeks to conserve and protect the unique biodiversity resources of Mt. Mayapay, a prominent natural landmark in the Caraga Region. "The highland is a magnificent mountain located East of Butuan City, considered the range’s highest peak with an elevation of 2,214 feet above sea level, with a plateau formation that is the predominant feature of the city’s backdrop.” The revered mountain “was a vital watershed in the environs of Butuan City and the Municipality of Buenavista, Agusan del Norte until it was abused by loggers and poachers.” 

Fortun further explained in filing the bill that “at present, the ecosystem of Mt. Mayapay has been invaded, assaulted and is now highly endangered, threatening to extinction whatever few remaining endemic flora and fauna thriving in the area. Moreover, experts have expressed alarm that if nothing is done to arrest its continuous degradation, landslides that may claim thousands of lives are not remote given the fact that the mountain lies along the fault line.”

Among the additional reform provisions of the bill include: 1.) inclusion of enumeration of prohibited acts within the natural park to cover quarry, mining, logging, etc.; 2) provision on stiffer penalties for violations of the law; 3) requirement of an act of Congress in the modification of the coverage of the law due to such factors as changing ecological situations or new scientific or archaeological findings; 4) inclusion of a specific provision on the establishment of buffer zones; 5) revision of the definition of tenured migrants and fixing of the other provisions relative thereto to prevent speculators from circumventing the law and legitimizing their illegal occupation; 6) provisions to further strengthen the PAMB and for a transparent, consultative and participatory administration and management of the natural park; 7) provision for the creation of an ExeCom within the PAMB to whom may be delegated some of its powers and functions to ensure consistent, continuous and sustained management and administration since the PAMB meets only quarterly; and 8.) provision for more security in the utilization of the MMNP fund to prevent misuse and abuse.

Fortun also took note of the people’s sentiments who strongly “voiced out their concerns on the sad state of Mt. Mayapay and the real threat of a forthcoming destruction of lives and properties should its devastation continue. Various sectors have taken initiatives calling for the protection and conservation of this glorious mountain, however, activities contributing to its further deterioration have continued due to the lack of a law that ensures its protection, rehabilitation and conservation.” (Eldie N. David/PIA-Caraga)