A SOJOURNER’S VIEW: An urgent appeal to approve Davao City’s Critical Habitat Declaration

DAVAO CITY — On a clear day after a river of clouds flows across Mt Apo’s rugged terrain and disappears into the horizon, leaving a majestic sight of Mindanao’s most revered volcano with the highest peak, one can be teary-eyed gazing at this beautiful and precious gift of Mother nature to those of us living in its shadows.

Unfortunately, the Ovu-Manuvu Lumad residents of Salaysay have not been able to find ways to secure a Certificate for Ancestral Domain and despite being in a watershed protected area, the government has provided private landowners with titles over these lands which should not have been classified as alienable and thus still part of the State’s public land.

Given the need for an ongoing campaign to halt the tree cutting and environmental issues in Mt. Macabol-Alikoson Conservation Areas, researchers from IDIS, PEF, UP-Mindanao, and the Lumad residents of Salaysay undertook a joint exploration and survey in the area last July 2022. It was their aim “to gather observations highlighting the identified nesting sites of the resident Philippine Eagle pair, as well as the presence of other endemic and threatened wildlife species.

One should really ask – why is there a need for a Critical Habitat Declaration? We have to remember that ours is a weak State – where laws are passed but somehow those in the top echelon of our elite society can just find loopholes in laws passed or find ways to circumnavigate around the laws and secure exceptions from following the law.

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