BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan expressed his gratitude to the officers and members of the Fil-Am Golf Foundation for granting the local government’s request to realign the P5 million earlier allocated for the fencing of the Busol watershed to the proposed fencing of the Camp 8 forest reservation.
The local chief executive claimed the corporate social responsibility project of the Fil-Am Golf Foundation for the sustainable preservation and protection of the environment is definitely a big boost to the efforts of concerned government agencies and the local government in warding off informal settlers from intruding into the forest reservations in the city that provide the needed supply of potable water for the increasing number of residents.
“We will continue to work with the Fil-Am Golf Foundation on the implementation of the Camp 8 watershed fencing project to prevent our remaining forest reservations from encroachment by informal settlers. We want the present and future generations to enjoy the decent state of the city’s environment for them to value in turn its preservation and protection,” Domogan stressed.
He added the local government continues to closely work with the concerned government agencies and interested partners in the implementation of short-, medium-, and long-term programs for the sustainable preservation and protection of the city’s environment as it is important to strike a balance between the robust development and the presence of forested areas in the city.
Earlier, the Fil-Am Golf Foundation embraced environmental preservation and protection as one of its corporate social responsibility projects and allotted some P5 million to augment the funds earmarked by the concerned government agencies, the local government, and private individuals and groups for the fencing of the Busol watershed.
However, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) was able to source out the sufficient funds for the implementation of the Busol watershed fencing project augmented by funds from the local government, the Baguio Water District, the Baguio Regreening Movement (BRM), and others which nearly completes the project.
Domogan said the Camp 8 forest reservation is one of the major watersheds in the city that needs to be preserved and protected by fencing thus the local government decided to request the Fil-Am Golf Foundation for the possible realignment of the funds for the Busol fencing project to the Camp 8 watershed fencing project.
He disclosed the Busol fencing project is nearing completion except for the controversial portions contested by purported claimants and individuals who encroached in some areas of the watershed which is now the subject of actions by the implementing offices for the realization of the project.
The Fil-Am Golf Foundation assured its support to the concerned government agencies and the local government in the implementation of its environmental preservation and protection projects because it values the important contribution of a good environment in sustaining the city’s cool weather condition, a natural pull for foreign and domestic visitors to frequent the city.
By Dexter A. See
