Better protection of watershed areas pledged

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City government has pledged stronger coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and partner agencies to ensure that development projects within the Central Cebu Protected Landscape (CCPL) comply with environmental laws and protect vital watersheds and biodiversity.

The city government joined the special Protected Area Management Board executive committee meeting organized by DENR Region 7, where officials reviewed proposed and ongoing projects requiring environmental clearance.

These included road rehabilitation, slope protection, flood-control structures, and the installation of solar street lights along the Cebu-Balamban-Toledo City-TCH route. Cebu City-funded initiatives were also presented accordingly for environmental review.

The CCPL, declared a protected area under Republic Act 9486, covers 29,062 hectares across Cebu Province, including 22 barangays of Cebu City such as Adlaon, Babag, Bonbon, Buhisan, Guba, Lusaran, Pamutan, Paril, Sapangdaku, Sinsin, Sirao, Sudlon I and II, Tabunan, Tagbao, and Taptap.

It encompasses the Buhisan Dam, Mananga Watershed, Kotkot-Lusaran Watershed, and Sudlon National Park, which supply much of Cebu City’s potable water.

The landscape also shelters critically-endangered species like the Cebu flowerpecker, black shama, Cebu hawk-owl, and Cebu cinnamon tree, making it a biodiversity refuge of national importance.

Mayor Nestor Archival stresses the city’s commitment to balancing infrastructure growth with ecological protection.

“Importante nga mapalig-on ang monitoring ug enforcement sa mga kalihokan nga mahimong makaapekto sa atong environment. We are strengthening coordination among the concerned agencies, following up on Cease and Desist Orders, and supporting field and nighttime monitoring to ensure that activities are properly regulated and violations are acted upon,” Archival said during the 4th City Mining Regulatory Board meeting earlier this week.

He added that local ordinances will be enforced alongside national clearances.

“Kung naay mga ordinansa nato wala natuman sa ilang organisasyon or sa ilang kumpanya, then we will have to inform them and then give them disciplinary actions based sa balaod,” Archival stressed, noting that compliance with city regulations remains essential even when national permits are granted.

The DENR has repeatedly warned that unchecked development and forest destruction within the CCPL could trigger a water crisis in Cebu Province. For Cebu City, the stakes are particularly high: the protected landscape not only secures water supply but also regulates runoff, reduces flooding risks in lowland barangays, and preserves the ecological balance amid rapid urban expansion. – BRP (CEBU NEWS)