DENR takes over Mt Arayat park

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) formally took over the San Juan Baño Recreational Area at the foot of Mt. Arayat after almost four years under the management of the Department of Tourism – Philippine Tourism Authority (DOT-PTA).

Management of the facility used to be under the local government of Arayat, Pampanga after the local government and the DENR agreed to turn over its operations to the DOT-PTA through a memorandum of agreement in December 2000 to intensify the tourism potential of the park pursuant to the provisions of R.A. 7690 declaring Arayat National park as a tourist spot.

Regidor de Leon, Regional Executive Director of the DENR in Central Luzon, said DOT-PTA requested the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) to take over the operations of the 10-hectare resort to ensure its continued development under Republic Act 7586, otherwise known as the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS).

The PAMB is a multisectoral governing board chaired by the DENR and composed of representatives from the local governments, other government agencies, indigenous communities, people’s organizations, and non-government organizations. The board decides on matters related to planning, resource protection, and general administration of the protected area, including the delineation of boundaries, bufferzones, and ancestral domains and the recognition of the rights and privileges of indigenous communities in the protected area, among others.

"We envision the San Juan Baño resort to be the showcase of a balanced ecosystem and biodiversity, conservation in Central Luzon" de Leon said, adding that the turnover is an opportunity to boost local tourism while catering to the recreational needs of Pampanga and neighboring provinces.

As this developed, the DENR is set to forge an agreement with the Philippine Army based in Fort Magsaysay for the continued rehabilitation, protection, and conservation of the Mt. Arayat National Park. A couple of weeks ago, about 500 soldiers from the 69th IB and 71st ID of the Philippine Army headed by Maj. Gen. Cristolito Balaoing joined the DENR in a massive tree planting in denuded portions of Mt. Arayat.

Rogelio Trinidad, DENR technical director for Protected Areas and Wildlife Service in the region, said the rehabilitation drive is part of the continuing effort of government to protect and conserve representative samples of areas rich in biodiversity.