A national heritage needs protection

MALOLOS, Bulacan – A national heritage in danger.

This was how environmentalist Jose Rey Munsayac described the Biak-na-Bato national park located in San Miguel town in this province.

Munsayac said the 659-hectare national park is in great danger of being severely damaged because of rampant illegal quarrying of marble, limestone, silica and other mineral deposits.

This was proven true when The STAR went to the national park. "Those are dynamite blasts from the quarry sites," Munsayac told The STAR. It was learned that unlicensed quarry operators are hauling large chunks of the expensive T-rose marble during the night.

"A major part of the national park has been destroyed due to illegal quarrying and it poses an alarming threat to one of the most significant places in history," Munsayac said.

The Biak-na-Bato national park has been the cradle of the Pact of Biak na Bato which was forged between the Spanish colonizers and Gen. Artemio Ricarte.

Division of the park’s land area

In 1937, President Manuel Quezon declared Biak-na-Bato as a national park. It has an original land area of 2,117 hectares. During the term of former President Ferdinand Marcos, some parts of the national park were allotted for mining and mineral explorations. When Corazon Aquino became president, the original land area was divided into four parts – watershed, resettlement area, mining, and national park.

Munsayac said this division left the national park with only 659 hectares.

He said some groups like the Miriam PEACE, and the Kaisambuhay together with other environmental organizations have expressed alarm that in about a few years, nothing would be left of the national park.

Biodiversity

According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, there are a lot of species of rodents, bats, lizards, birds and monkeys that are found in the national park.

The DENR said in its report that out of the 556 species of animals found in the country, 81 of these are found in the national park while 50 of them are endemic to the Philippines.

Aside from this, there are a vast number of insects and plants found inside Biak-na-Bato’s more than 100 caves. There are beautiful limestone formations in the said caves.

Munsayac said that if the illegal marble and other mineral quarrying activities are not stopped soon, these species of animals, plants, and insects are in great danger of losing their habitat.

He said the Madlum River, which runs through the national park and is beneficial to the communities living within the area, will also be destroyed if the illegal quarry operations continue.