Almost 71 percent of Mt. Data, one of the 10 initially declared by the government as protected areas under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act of 1997, has actually been converted into farming lands and has been occupied by residents. Community Environment and Natural Resources officer Geoffrey Cawis revealed that 3,913 hectares of Mt. Data has been converted into agricultural and residential land.
He blamed this sorry situation of the national park to "kaingin" being practiced by vegetable growers in the area.
Baguio City’s major watershed area-Busol according to the DENR has also been invaded by squatters with the discovery of some 21 illegal structures by authorities.
Busol Task Force chief Moises Anipen disclosed that they found these illegal structures within the 278 hectare watershed area within the first semester of the year and were yet to be demolished pending the issuance of an order.
This situation of Mt. Data has prompted environment officials here to recommend only specific portions of the park be placed under the NIPAS law.
Julio Lopez, forest protection chief of the Baguio City’s Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), earlier told The STAR that the remaining forest cover in the city and Benguet province are increasingly being exploited by guerrilla-type poachers who take advantage of the undermanned and ill-equipped forest protection units.
Lopez said that the government has employed only eight forest rangers to look after 103,000 hectares of watershed forest lands in Baguio City and three more towns in Benguet province.
"They (forest rangers) are even ill-equipped. They do not have effective and efficient communication gadgets." he said.