Six incidents of forest fires have been recorded around the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP) in February and March, damaging an estimated 15 hectares of the protected area, according to the national park’s management.
PPUR Superintendent Elizabeth Maclang said Wednesday that the fires had been triggered by burning leaves by local residents but had spread and gotten out of control because of the dry season exacerbated by El Niño.
Maclang expressed concern that the forest fires are causing further damage to the forested areas of PPUR, which has yet to recover from the effects of Typhoon Odette in 2021.
“Nabalik yung dati naming naramdaman noon dahil hindi pa nga tayo nakakausad sa restoration program [sa nasira] na dulot ni Odette, eto na naman si forest fire,” Maclang said during the Kapihan hosted by the Philippine Information Agency at the SM City Puerto Princesa.
“Hindi siya grassfire, ito ay mga forest fires. Siguro mga anim na insidente sa loob ng tatlong linggo at kinailangan na natin tulong ng BFP at CDRRMO dahil nga hindi na namin kaya,” she added.
“Nakakalungkot dahil 15 hectares na ang na-document natin,” she said.
Maclang said they were having difficulty managing the fires, which kept coming back after they cleared the soil surface because the roots were still burning underneath.
As part of their contingency measures, she said a team from the PPUR office has already camped out near the area to monitor the situation.
“Sa ngayon, na-fireout na pero ang nangyayari dahil sobrang init, yung mga maliliit na baga na naiwan at dapat pwede nang mawala, hinahangin, pag dumikit sa dahon at nainitan yun na naman ang simula,” she said.
“Sa ngayon, as we speak, may mga nakatambay o nakakampo doon na mga staff 24/7 para ma-monitor kung meron na namang mangyayari dahil napapagod na rin sila siguro na every time, parang reactive ang nangyayari,” she added.
She likewise reminded residents around the park to refrain from burning, especially dried leaves, and instead pile them up somewhere and let them decay to serve as organic fertilizer.
Maclang said it’s about time to hold those responsible accountable for their actions.
During the PAMB meeting on March 8, she added, they agreed to request a supplemental budget to be used for the purchase of a lory or tanker and accessories to augment their response capabilities to such incidents.
She also mentioned that volunteer fire brigades have already been trained by the Bureau of Fire Protection, as well as the CDRRMO, including our park rangers and forest management staff. We will further augment their numbers, as some individuals, although not formally trained, already know what to do in such incidents due to previous experiences.
“Binibigyan pa kami ng way at time para malaman kung magkano na yung naipon para ma-approve yung supplemental budget. Kailangan daw ng P2 million, kakayanin na,” she said.
