THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Davao has hired 25 new forest protection officers to watch and protect Mt. Apo, the country's highest peak.
This was bared by DENR-Davao Mt. Apo Natural Park-Protected Area Operations Superintendent Eduard Ragaza in a phone interview with VoxPop Davao on Tuesday, December 6.
Ragaza said most of the hired forest protection officers are well-trained on environmental law enforcement while others are deputized as wildlife enforcement officers.
He added the foresters are assigned in Tamayong village in Calinan, Davao City, Kapatagan village in Digos City, and other areas in Davao del Sur and in North Cotabato.
"We hired forest protection officers who are tribal leaders and indigenous peoples (IPs) since they are already familiar with the environment, particularly the Mt. Apo," Ragaza said.
This is not the first time that the agency did this as Ragaza said that prior to this they have already been conducting trainings with the tribal leaders and IPs for biodiversity conservation especially at Mt. Apo Natural Park.
Ragaza said that hiring 25 forest protection officers is part of their rehabilitation program for Mt. Apo after part of the mountain was damaged by a massive fire last March 26 this year.
Mt. Apo is still closed, which means that not a single mountaineer is allowed to climb the highest peak, except the foresters, to make way for rehabilitation, Ragaza said. (ICT)