Tourists driven away from ‘La Presa’

BAGUIO CITY—The government has stopped tourists from driving up to the community made popular by a television series in Mt. Sto. Tomas in Tuba, Benguet, in order to enforce the permanent environment protection order imposed by the Court of Appeals in May.

The ban was imposed early this month, drawing objections from residents and officials of Tuba town, which covers a larger portion of the Mt. Sto. Tomas forest reservation.

Many motorists were turned away on Christmas Day by policemen and members of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as they proceeded to Sitio Pungayan in Barangay Poblacion, Tuba.

Pungayan was the location of the fictitious community of “La Presa” where television crews shot episodes of the soap opera “Forevermore” there last year until early this year.

Julio Lopez, Benguet provincial environment and natural resources officer, said the tourist ban covers the entire Mt. Sto. Tomas reservation and not just Sitio Pungayan.

Anabel Solano, Tuba assistant tourism officer, said the DENR policy forced the local government to recall five employees tasked to manage and haul out garbage in the reservation, and to collect the P25 environmental fee from visitors, most of whom drive to Pungayan, which is more than 10 kilometers from downtown Baguio.

Tuba Mayor Florencio Bentrez said the local government would follow the DENR’s order.

“We can take no action against the DENR order but the national highway should be accessible to the public,” Bentrez said.

Benguet Gov. Nestor Fongwan said the DENR has authority to stop tourists from going to Pungayan and to stop economic activities in the area.

“[But] the stalls along the highway [leading to the peak of Mt. Sto. Tomas] should be allowed to sell their products. How will they earn their living if they are allowed to sell?” Fongwan said.

VISITORS have been barred this holiday from visiting what they know as “La Presa,” which is actually Sitio Pungayan in Tuba town. Pungayan is within the Mt. Sto. Tomas forest reserve which is now covered by a permanent environment protection order issued by the Court of Appeals. Late last year, this was one of the most visited places. EV ESPIRITU/INQUIRER NORTHERN LUZON

Vice Mayor Clarita Sal-ongan said the mountain has long been a tourist destination even before the soap opera drew people to Pungayan.

“La Presa is not the only destination in Sto. Tomas. We have the burial caves and other attractions [like the Stations of the Cross, mountainside farms and spots offering a panoramic view of Baguio],” she said.

Sal-ongan said the local government is crafting a tourism plan that would determine how Mt. Sto. Tomas would be treated.

On Oct. 26, the DENR approved Tuba’s forest land use plan (FLUP) for the years 2015 to 2019, which includes the Mt. Sto. Tomas forest.

It said Mt. Sto. Tomas is the highest peak in Tuba at 2,252 meters above sea level, known more for hosting various telecommunication facilities.

“However, population pressure could be the major factor in land use changes in the past as indicated by [the] natural forest fragmentation in some part of the forest zone. At present, [particularly] in Mt. Sto. Tomas, agricultural farm expansion is slowly creeping deeper into the forest areas. This may continue to pose [a] threat as the population grows and demand for natural resources increases,” the FLUP said.

It said 4,284.8 hectares of the 27,864 ha of classified forest land in Tuba have been used for agricultural purposes, 30 percent of which are rice fields and vegetable gardens.

Tuba has a remaining forest cover of 14,990.63 ha, records from the DENR showed. Kimberlie Quitasol, Inquirer Northern Luzon