THE DEPARTMENT of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Davao clarified on Tuesday that Tagurano Battlefield remains a no-trek zone as it is under the Mt. Apo Natural Park Strict Protection Zone (SPZ).
DENR Davao executive director Ma. Mercedes V. Dumagan appeared at the 20th City Council’s regular session to shed light on the controversial trekking site.
Dumagan said Barangay Tagurano, around 18.8 hectares falls within SPZ and has no area designated as a Multiple Use Zone (MUZ).
This was the grounds for the issuance of a cease and desist order of DENR Davao against the nine establishments in April including Battlefield Tagurano.
The protected area is divided into two management zones, the SPZ which is close to any human activity, except for scientific research and rituals of indigenous peoples, and the MUZ are portions where settlement, agriculture, agroforestry, and ecotourism are allowed.
“Ninety percent of the MANP in Davao city side is under SPZ, with only a small portion identified as multiple-use zones,” Dumagan said.
She stressed that out of seven official trails to Mt. Apo, the Davao City trail in Barangay Tamayong traversing the Talomo Mountain Range has been closed indefinitely to trekkers.
On the request of the city government to designate a trekking area in Tagurano, Dumagan said the city must first convert Tagurano into an MUZ.
“Any modification of the management zone shall be duly supported by a comprehensive biodiversity assessment, among others, pursuant to the BMB Technical Bulletin No. 2018-01. This is also the direction reached during the Davao City Sub-PAMB’s regular meeting on October 16, 2024,” she added.
This change should be adopted in the city’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) and once the reclassification of the proposed trail is approved, areas bordering the trail must remain as SPZ.
During the regular session on Oct. 21, Councilor Temujin Ocampo called out fellow lawmaker Bernard Al-ag after the latter trekked in the Battlefield Peak, Tagurano despite the existing CDO from DENR.
Ocampo said Al-ag violated the Watershed Code of Davao, City Ordinance No. 0675-21, Series of 2021 or An Ordinance Regulating Recreational Activities Within Watershed Conservation Areas of Davao City for the Protection, Conservation, Preservation of the Natural Environment; and the new CLUP, on top of the CDO.
Meanwhile, Al-ag maintained that his visit was not for leisure but for the welfare of the residents affected by the economic implication of the closure, and he was just “invited” to go there.
On the violations that Al-ag and the illegal establishments may face, Dumagan said it is up to the findings of the investigation conducted by their team which is yet to be finalized.
Photos by Bing Gonzales
