Aliwagwag Falls in Cateel, Davao Oriental, a year after suffering from the impact of Typhoon Pablo in 2012. (davaotoday.com file photo by Ace R. Morandante)
DAVAO CITY — The representative of the first district of Davao Oriental, Rep. Nelson L. Dayanghirang filed a bill seeking to declare Aliwagwag Falls as a protected area.
Dayanghirang said the Aliwagwag Falls, found in the municipalities of Bostol and Cateel in Davao Oriental and Compostela town in Compostela Valley Province, has been recognized for its biodiversity as a natural habitat for birds, animals and marine species.
He said the Aliwagwag falls also supports “an estimated 17,000 hectares of rice land in Cateel.”
The bill, which is still pending at the House Committee on Natural Resources chaired by Rep. Francisco “Lalo” T. Matugas of the first district of Surigao del Norte, states that all lands of the public domain comprising the AFPL shall fall under the classification of national park as provided for in the Philippine Constitution.
House Bill 6406 or “The Aliwagwag Falls Protected Landscape Act of 2011” provides technical descriptions for the area coverage of the AFPL, which shall be subject to ground survey and verification to be conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
For public lands that are already classified or declared by law as agricultural or alienable and disposable prior to the passage of this Act, the bill provides that the said public lands shall remain as such and may be disposed of pursuant to the provisions of Commonwealth Act No. 141 or the Public Land Act, as amended, and other public land laws.
The proposal establishes the buffer zone for the AFL, which shall be given special development control, subject to existing rights, to serve as a protective belt around the AFPL.
The bill calls for the creation of the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB), which shall have the sole jurisdiction, power and authority over the AFPL for all matters that may affect biodiversity conservation, protection and sustainable development.
It creates the Aliwagwag Falls Protected Landscape (AFPL) Fund for the purposes of financing projects of the AFPL.
Dayanghirang said the declaration of the Aliwagwag Falls as a protected area shall shield it from exploitation, sustain its ecological stability and preserve it for future generation. (davaotoday.com)
