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| Ambiong folk urged to protect public forest |
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2006/5/15
COMMUNITIES living around the Busol Forest Reservation in Barangay Ambiong, La Trinidad were told on Wednesday not to introduce any development in the area pending the completion of a relocation survey and management plan for the communal forest.
Representatives from the environment department and the Municipal Government of La Trinidad asked residents to maintain the status quo while the actual boundaries of the forest reservation is yet to be re-established.
They requested residents living near the communal forest not to introduce any improvement among the already existing structures there even as they assured that the government would not conduct any demolition.
In a consultation, residents of Barangays Ambiong, Lubas, and Beckel manifested their support to the implementation of the project but requested the presence of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in the conduct of the survey. These villages surround the communal forest.
The Municipal Government, the Community and Provincial Environment Offices of the environment department, and the Jaime V. Ongpin Foundation Inc. are pursuing the preservation of the town's remaining communal forests.
Mayor Nestor Fongwan said the forest management plan would be created as soon as the environment department completes the relocation survey of the Busol Watershed, estimated to cover a total area of 333 hectares. He said more than 200 hectares of the watershed is covered by the municipality while the remaining portion falls under the territorial jurisdiction of Baguio.
He said consultations are being undertaken to get the support of residents in the management of the town's public forests. (JC)
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| Source:http://www.sunstar.com.ph |
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