Save Mt. Apo! Food Production, Yes; Mt. Apo Destruction, No!

It is unfortunate but I have to start the year with this shocking video of what is happening at the foot of the country’s tallest mountain, Mt. Apo, on the side of Davao del Sur, specifically Barangay Kapatagan, Digos City.

Last Thursday, I was invited by the Philippine National Police Regional Command XI to a tree planting ceremony in their 100-hectare police training camp in Kapatagan, Digos City.

What I saw when I arrived in the area really shocked me, especially so since I had been involved in the protection and preservation of the forests of Mt. Apo when I was Governor of North Cotabato where the other half of the Natural Park is located.

Vegetable farms had already crept into the very critical base of Mt. Apo while others are already starting to penetrate the watershed of Mt. Tamporong from where the people of Digos City get their water supply from.

I saw areas with 45 degree slope cleared of any trees and planted to vegetables, an act which defies every definition of sustainable agriculture.

What baffles me is why the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources and the Protected Area Management Board which covers the Davao del Sur side of Mt. Apo allowed this to happen.

Look, I am all for food production but we cannot sacrifice one of the last remaining virgin forests of Mindanao just to produce Sayote, Raddish, Pechay and Carrots.

While this is depressing, I would take this up as a challenge in leadership and decision making.

What do we do when people have already penetrated a critical forest and watershed?

We have to stop it and bring the violators to answer for their crime of defying our forest laws.

I know that some political observers would look at my reaction now to this destruction of Mt. Apo as a political suicide, especially since I am trying to gain support for my Senate bid.

Indeed, I may earn the ire of the barangay officials of Kapatagan and even the vegetable farmers who have encroached into the watershed of Mt. Apo.

Maybe, I will lose their support and votes.

If I close my eyes to this destruction of Mt. Apo, the other side to this would be the loss of forest cover in the crtiical watershed which would seriously affect the water supply and even cause flooding in Digos City and other areas.

As leaders, there are difficult choices that we have to make – popular but wrong moves like playing to the mob or politically unwise but correct decisions.

People could rouse me in the middle of the night and pose to me those choices and I will always say:

“Let’s do the right thing. Let’s protect Mt Apo because in the long run, this would be the wisest move on our part as leaders of this generation.”

#GawinAngTamaDahilTama!

#LoseVotesSaveAGeneration!