In an interview with The STAR, actor-turned-environmentalist Roy Alvarez said a severe water crisis looms over the three Southern Tagalog provinces of Laguna, Quezon and Rizal which are solely dependent on Mt. Banahaw for their water supply.
Alvarez, an active member of the group Mother Earth Unlimited, said the destruction of the forest cover of Mt. Banahaw has worsened due to the continuing lack of concern by people visiting the mountain.
He said his group is conducting a massive information drive and a series of activities to reforest Mt. Banahaw and, hopefully, forestall the water crisis in Southern Tagalog.
"We don’t want a repetition of the 1998 incident when even the falls dried up due to the El Niño phenomenon," Alvarez said.
Mt. Banahaw, an extinct volcano rising 2,250 meters above sea level, is the most famous landmark of Quezon province. It is ringed by the municipalities of Dolores, Tiaong, Candelaria, Tayabas and Lucban.
Pilgrims make the trek to the mountain because it is believed to have mystical and healing attributes. Several folk religious groups with their peculiar rites and tenets thrive in the haunts and caves of the mountain.
As part of the celebration of World Earth Day on April 22 which coincides with the observance of the International Year of the Mountains, Alvarez said activities have been lined up to save the mountain. These include the cleanup of Mt. Banahaw, reforestation and pledges of commitment.
During the Holy Week celebration, he said, at least 500,000 pilgrims went up Mt. Banahaw and left behind them truckloads of garbage which need to be collected.
"The rehabilitation of Mt. Banahaw is needed not only to prevent the possible water shortage in the three provinces but also to transform the mountain into an eco-tourism site," Alvarez said.
He called on the officials of the towns of Dolores, Tiaong, Sariaya, Tayabas and Lucban to follow the example set by the mayor of Candelaria who has allocated five percent of their budget for the restoration of Mt. Banahaw.
He said the collection of maintenance fees from people visiting Mt. Banahaw should be implemented and gambling and liquor within the mountain strictly prohibited.
"Mt. Banahaw is a sacred place. You should respect everything in that mountain," he said.
Alvarez also suggested that forest rangers in Mt. Banahaw be tapped from the community itself because they are familiar with the terrain and pathways of the mountain.
Massive reforestation should be done not only in Mt. Banahaw but in al the mountains in the country., Alvarez said, citing studies confirming that only 18 percent of the country’s forest cover are in good condition, while 82 percent have completely disappeared.