PNA file photo
CUENCA, Batangas – Mt. Maculot will remain closed to the public to ensure the safety of pilgrims, tourists, and townsfolk alike amid the municipal government’s continuing vigilance against infectious diseases.
In an interview on Wednesday, Mayor Alex Magpantay said the threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is still present, and opening the favorite hikers’ destination to the public may be premature at this time.
He recalled that the in the early months of 2020, a local executive order was issued, prohibiting leisure activities in the mountain in compliance with a broader Department of Health directive against the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Magpantay said the prolonged closure may have proven beneficial to the mountain’s ecological balance since it paved the way for its natural rehabilitation.
He said this is evidenced by the significant population growth in the flora and fauna endemic to Mt. Maculot.
Additionally, soil erosion seems to have been arrested due to the decline of human activity on the mountain’s slopes since the hiking ban took effect three years ago, the town mayor said.
Magpantay assured that Mt. Maculot, which has attracted mountain climbers and adventure seekers for decades, would not be permanently off-limits to the public.
He said the Sangguniang Bayan (municipal council), together with the municipal and provincial environment and natural resources offices, is currently collaborating in drafting an ordinance supporting tourism and environmental preservation in the mountain.
Magpantay expressed confidence that current efforts to preserve the mountain’s pristine nature would prove beneficial to economic stakeholders in the long run.
He further noted that Mt. Maculot was already one of the country‘s favorite hiking destinations before the pandemic. (Pot Chavez/PNA)
