After 15 years of restricted access to the public, the Mts. Banahaw-San Cristobal Protected Landscape has already shown signs of improvement but has not yet fully recovered, Environment Regional Executive Director Maria Paz Luna said.
to the public even as park volunteers gear up for the expected influx of visitors during Holy Week.
Luna said certain areas of the park will continue to remain closed to the public as these fall within the Strict Protection Zone.
The Protected Area Management Board for MBSCPL, she said, has decided to impose the closure order until such time that the barangays concerned are fully prepared, trained and ready to handle visitors and are able to implement the carrying capacity of the areas frequently visited.
The concerned local government units must also have the capability to handle disaster risk reduction management and trail hazard assessment.
The board in 2004 issued a resolution declaring specific areas in the protected area closed to the public, starting from the different sacred places of Barangay Kinabuhayan —Kristalino Falls, Dungaw, Tatlong Tangke—then back to Kinabuhayan on the side of Dolores, and from Barangay Bugon which covers Pagbuga up to Dulong Ilaya in Barangay Concepcion-Pinagbakuran and Concepcion-Banahaw on the Sariaya side, both in Quezon province.
In March 2006, public entry was restricted in five more areas in Laguna, namely Barangay Bukal in Nagcarlan; barangays Ilaya Sungi and Novaliches in Liliw; and Bukal and Taytay in Majayjay.
In 2013, Mt. Cristobal was completely closed due to a fire incident.
For this Holy Week, MBSCPL Park Supt. Sally Pangan said more than 200 mountaineers from various local groups volunteered to provide extra manpower in regulating the movements of pilgrims and visitors to prevent anyone from “slipping” into restricted areas.
“We will be patrolling the whole protected area throughout the Holy Week, in cooperation with the local government units, the police force, volunteer groups, radio groups and many more,” Pangan said.
A command post has already been set up at the Protected Area Management Office in Brgy. Kinabuhayan where people visiting other parts of the protected area are required to individually register and listen to a brief orientation on the proper conduct inside the park.