A House leader led an interagency consultative meeting to discuss plans, interventions and mitigation measures of regional government agencies to address the recent forest fires in Mt. Arayat Protected Landscape (MAPL) in the province of Pampanga.
During the months of February, April and May of this year, forest fires razed a portion of the Protected Landscape located in the boundaries of the municipalities of Arayat and Magalang, and destroyed an estimated 132 hectares of land.
Senior Deputy Speaker and Pampanga 3rd District Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr said Republic Act 11684 or the Mt. Arayat Protected Landscape recognizes the richness of the biological resources, both flora and fauna, that are native and distinct to Mt. Arayat.
During the meeting Thursday, the regional offices discussed the actions they have undertaken to address the forest fires that affected 102.13 hectares of the National Greening Program identified sites within the protected area in Arayat and 30.50 hectares in the Magalang side.
Gonzales said the DENR should coordinate with the two LGUs to resolve the issue of the illegal occupation within the protected area.
He also called the attention of the agency on the delineation issue relative to the boundaries of the two municipalities.
Gonzales said the boundary issue has been a factor in the protection and security of the Mt. Arayat Protected Area.