Mt. Banahaw, San Cristobal ‘protected area’

[GLT]

Mt. Banahaw, San Cristobal placed under ‘protected area’
By CHARISSA M. LUCI
December 12, 2009, 2:14pm

Persistently calling for the protection of environment, President
Arroyo has signed into law a bill placing Laguna’s Mt. Banahaw and San
Cristobal in Quezon province as the country’s “protected area.”

In a simple ceremony, Mrs. Arroyo signed Republic Act (RA) 9847
establishing Mt. Banahaw and San Cristobal in the provinces of Laguna
and Quezon, respectively, as protected areas under the category of
protected landscape.

The signing was held at the regional center in Barangay Mapagong,
Calamba, City in Laguna, shortly after the President led the
groundbreaking ceremony for the Calabarzon Regional Center in the
province.

Mrs. Arroyo was briefed on the Climate Change commissioner’s weekly
report and on the Copenhagen visual report.

Last month, the President also signed two anti-logging ban bills,
prohibiting logging activities in Southern Leyte and Negros
Occidental’s third district.

RA 9772, also known as “An Act Imposing a Logging Ban in the province
of Southern Leyte,” and RA 3680, which seeks to protect Northern
Negros Natural Park’s remaining forest cover, were signed on November
3 and November 13, respectively.

The newly signed laws allow, however, harvesting of planted species
within tree plantations and tree-cutting activities for projects
approved by the government and only for basic services such as, but
not limited to, public works, energy development or water utilities.

Under the law, any harvesting or tree cutting will comply with all
pertinent environmental and forestry laws, rules and regulations.

As this developed, the President tasked the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources (DENR) to issue the necessary rules and
regulations for the effective implementation of the new laws.