Environmentalists sign MOA to protect Mt. Apo

KIDAPAWAN CITY -International environmental advocates, tourism officials from South and Central Mindanao region, lumad leaders, and the local chief executive here signed on Wednesday a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to preserve, protect, and develop carefully the environment’s resources, especially in Mount Apo. The parties to the MOA signing included City Mayor Joseph Evangelista, DOT-12 Regional Director Nelly Dillera, Macapantao Manamba of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples in North Cotabato, Mamutur Cariga of the Cotabato provincial Community Environment and Natural Resources, and Korean Professor Kwi-Gon Kim of the International Urban Training Center (IUTC) of the Republic of Korea. The agreement stated that the parties involved have renewed mutual assistance and to continue to link with national and international agencies, institutions, and other stakeholders in effective capacity building of local governments, communities, and local people towards sustainable tourism and eco-tourism activities. The signing highlighted the five-day naturalist and eco-guides training that started on Tuesday at the Martinez Swimming Resort in Barangay Mua-an here. Dillera assured Mayor Evangelista and other KMM officials that funds have been allocated to promote eco-tourism destinations in the area, especially those located on Mount Apo. This included, she said, the development of Kansal Falls, a spring falls in Barangay Perez, and the construction of a circumferential road that connects hinterland villages of Kidapawan City to towns in Magpet and Makilala. Dillera said that tourism-related projects in North Cotabato and other towns and provinces in South and Central Mindanao are beginning to be realized because of the bottom-up budgeting (BUB) of the national government. Before, these were just mere ‘lip service.’Right now, we’re getting the proposals from the communities, the LGUs.We also went down to them to hear their issues and concerns.Iwould say that people can now feel, see, and hear what the DOT-12 is doing to them because we have already funds allocated for them,” she explained. The five-day Naturalist Eco-guides training spearheaded by the city government was aimed to increase the level of awareness of eco-tourism guides on ecological protection of the biodiversity of Mount Apo, considered a protected area. The city government has partnered with the IUTC of the government of the Republic of Korea to realize the project.