Home>President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declares Mt. Mantalingahan as protected landscape

GMA declares Mt. Mantalingahan as Protected Landscape

                                                                      Joy Asignacion                                                                    PCSD,Media Bureau
                                  



The long wait is over.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared Mt. Mantalingahan as protected landscape through presidential proclamation 1815 dated June 23, 2009 pending an act from congress for the absolute protection of the area.

The primordial anchorage was its highly bio-diverse and rich ecology that can sustain life-support systems for southern Palawan. It plays significant roles in biodiversity conservation, cultural preservation, and in socio-economic well-being of the communities surrounding the mountain range.

The Mt. Mantalingahan Protected Landscape is the recent addition to the seven other protected areas in Palawan. Mt. Mantalingahan covers about 120,000 hectares, that comprises five municipalities in the southern part of the province.

“ Mt. Mantalingahan is not only our global response in fighting climate change but our act to protecting the forest thus saving water for our survival,” said Governor Joel T. Reyes.

The Mt. Mantalingahan mountain range is the highest peak in the province and home to 3,000 households of indigenous peoples.

The declaration of MMPL is testimony to the strong collaboration among LGU’s, government agencies, NGO’s and the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development and its Staff.

PCSDS Executive Director Romeo B. Dorado assures that PCSDS will assist in implementing the Management Programs for MMPL towards the protection, conservation and wise utilization of all its resources.

The MMPL shall be managed according to NIPAS Act but this should be in harmony with the Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP) Law and other environmental rules and regulations.