Mt. Apo to be closed indefinitely

DIGOS CITY—Authorities decided to close Mt. Apo for an indefinite period to mountaineering and related activities amid a fire that continues to rage in the country’s tallest peak.

In a meeting called by the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) of Southern and Central Mindanao, officials were unanimous in the decision to keep Mt. Apo off limits to human activity, according to Harry Comoro, provincial disaster  risk reduction and management officer of Davao del Sur province.

At the meeting were members and leaders of PAMB offices in the two regions and incident management teams of two provinces—North Cotabato and Davao del Sur—and Davao City.

Comoro said those who were at the meeting also passed a resolution urging local government units that have jurisdiction on Mt. Apo to provide funds, to be taken from income they generate from permits to climb the mountain, for the rehabilitation of the mountain after the fire has been put out.

At the meeting, an agreement was also reached to allow a body called Davao Region Incident Management Team to plan operations and handle resources needed to battle the fire which continued to rage yesterday.

According to Nestor Jimenez, incident commander,  the fire intensified anew on Thursday night as operations to dig fire lines continued.

A military helicopter also continued to dump water into the burning areas, said Jimenez.

He said a new aerial survey showed the fire has spread from the northeast side of the mountain to its east and southeast sides.

Volunteer firefighters are working round the clock, said Comoro.

Porters, who earn a living serving as guides to the mountain, expressed worry about losing income as a result of the decision to close the mountain.

Miguelito Laing, one of the porters in the village of Kapatagan here, said his job as a porter is a big help to his family. During peak season, he said he could earn up to P3,000 in about two days.

Donald Palilino, another porter from Kapatagan, said he hoped the government would provide alternative livelihood.

There are at least 100 porters based in the Davao del Sur side of the mountain alone, many of them living in Kapatagan.

“We are happy that it is now summer and we thought we could start making more money already, but then, this incident,” said Nonoy Lopez, a porter from North Cotabato who came here to help put out the fire.

Joey Recimilla, tourism officer of Kidapawan City, said the plight of the porters and those who depend on mountaineering and tourism campaigns centered around Mt. Apo has been considered during the meeting where the decision to close the mountain was made.

“We are working on plans on how to replace the income lost,” Recimilla said. Orlando Dinoy and Eldie Aguirre, Inquirer Mindanao