Mayor pushes proper use of power charges

BAUKO, Mountain Province – Mayor Abraham B. Akilit urged officials of the National Water Resources Board, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Energy and the Private Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) to formulate rules on effective and efficient utilization of the environment charge incorporated in power bills of consumers so it will include funding of projects to preserve and protect the watersheds.

“We are now in the process of finalizing our municipal annual investment plan that prioritizes the initial fencing of around 600 hectares of the Mount Data National Park but our available resources are not enough to fully implement the fencing project,” Akilit told the Manila Standard, adding that concerned national government agencies must allow the use of the environment charge being collected from power consumers for the implementation of notable projects to protect the watersheds.

            

Mount Data National Park is the headwaters of the four major river systems, particularly Chico, Agno, Abra and Magat rivers, that spill over to the lowlands, thus, thousands of people are now benefitting from the water from the watershed.

            

Akilit commended the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) for allocating around P250,000 for the fencing of a portion of the watershed which is now protected from the encroachment of farmers, thus, the total fencing of the portion of the watershed that is situated in the town’s area of jurisdiction.

            

According to him, reforestation activities must not only be confined to the perimeter of the hydroelectric dams but also the upland watersheds that serve as the headwaters of the different systems.

            

Akilit explained more reforestation projects must be given to communities hosting the watersheds to provide them adequate sources of livelihood so that they will not be forced to destroy and willfully cut the planted trees which would greatly affect the sources of water in the future.

            

“We need to immediately fence the metes and bounds of the watershed within the municipality’s area of jurisdiction to prevent further encroachments,” he said, claiming that the municipal government is also embarking on a sustainable reforestation program that will guarantee the preservation and protection of the remaining forested areas and expand the same to guarantee continuous water supply for the river systems which will be used for industrial, domestic, agricultural and irrigation purposes.

            

Akilit expressed his gratitude to most of his constituents for supporting his advocacy on the preservation and protection of the watershed for the benefit of the present and future generations as they already started practicing organic farming instead of the chemical-based farming that poses a serious threat to the state of the environment.

            

In order to prevent the people from damaging the watershed, the local chief executive asserted the need for concerned government agencies to pool their resources and fund the implementation of various programs and projects that will provide sustainable sources of livelihood for the local residents.