PAMB to update protected landscape management plan

PAMB to update protected landscape management plan
By Hazel F. Gloria
Philippine Information Agency
March 20, 2011

CEBU CITY, March 20 (PIA) --The Central Cebu Protected Landscape-Protected Area Management Board (CCPL-PAMB) recently held its general assembly meeting to prepare, update and revise its management plan to attune it to the existing needs and environmental requirements of the time.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-7) regional executive director Maximo Dichoso who presided the meeting said, with the approval of CCPL-PAMB memberships, the board has created functional committees to handle specific, clear and more defined functions and responsibilities.

“This is to expedite or accelerate the programs and projects to be carried out within the protected area. We have committees to study and subsequently conduct the survey and prepare the management plan in coordination with other concerned offices,” Dichoso added.

Dichoso stated that the revised CCPL Management Plan will be attuned to the existing needs and environmental protection requirements today and “we will delineate boundaries in the ground hopefully to be completed this year,” he added.

The updated Management Plan will also include areas or zones for strict protection and multiple-use instead of five zones before, he said.

“As of this time, we have delineated 34 kilometers and we intend to cover the whole area within CCPL for the actual ground delineation with the help and assistance of the business sectors,” he explained.

Dichoso emphasized that the protection, conservation and management of Central Cebu Protected Landscape is a collective and joint efforts among local government units, non-government organizations, business sectors and other stakeholders through the PAMB, and DENR only sits as its chair and provides technical assistance and administrative support.

Dichoso added the five Site Management Units (SMUs) are organized via watershed approach and parks composed of barangay captains to simplify and focus a specific watershed area by concerned barangay.

The Central Cebu Protected Landscape (CCPL) under Republic Act No. 9486 that was approved on June 7, 2007 covers a consolidated area of 28,312 hectares.

It consists of the Buhisan Watershed Forest Reserve, Mananga Watershed Forest Reserve, Sudlon National Park, Central Cebu National Park and the Kotkot-Lusaran Watershed Forest Reserve that span the cities of Cebu, Talisay, Toledo and Danao, and in the municipalities of Minglanilla, Consolacion, Liloan, Compostela, and Balamban.

The personnel complement of CCPL include the Protected Area Superintendent (PASu) as its head and back up by DENR support staff.

Dichoso also said regular PAMB meetings or general assemblies will be conducted on a quarterly basis instead of two meetings per year.

“This will allow us to thresh out more environmental issues and concerns through PAMB resolution and deliberation for programs and projects and any other activities in CCPL areas,” he added.

The last gathering was probably the biggest turnout of attendance in the history of CCPL-PAMB meetings and this is an expression that members are serious to get their acts together for the protection of the environment, Dichoso commented.

In the same meeting, Dichoso also presented the CCPL-PAMB eight committees with their respective chairmen.

Renato de Rueda of Cebu Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc. chairs the committee on Research and Policy while Socorro Atega of Cebu Uniting for Sustainable Water chairs the committee on Project and Infrastructure.

Joy Caceres of Environmental Legal Assistance Center chairs the committee on Conflict and Legal Services; Aida Granert of Soil and Water Conservation Foundation, committee on Capacity-Building and Promotion and Junie Montenegro of the Cebu Provincial Planning and Development Office chairs the committee on Monitoring and Evaluation.

Jessie Cubijano of Philippine Business of Social Progress chairs the Economic and Social committee; Armando Paredes of Metro Cebu Water District , Ways and Means and Jose Gapas of Mag-uugmad Foundation for the committee on Natural Resources and Law Enforcement.

Each committee will have a maximum of five members to include the chairman and vice chairman.