Gatherers of honey eyed in Mt. San Cristobal fire

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is looking at honey gatherers as possibly behind the fire that razed through a 50-hectare portion of Mt. San Cristobal in Quezon province on Tuesday.

“More than the trekkers, Mt. San Cristobal is being frequented by honey gatherers because the area affected by the fire is where you can find wild honey,” said Theresa Mundita Lim, director of the DENR’s Biodiversity Management Bureau.

Lim said these honey gatherers would have to produce smoke near beehives to prevent bee attacks while collecting honey.             

“We would have to include that in the investigation,” she said.

Lim earlier pointed to “human intervention” as having caused the fire that affected grassland and cogonal areas on Mt. San Cristobal.             

A 90-hectare portion of Mt. San Cristobal in San Pablo City was also destroyed by a fire last month, at about the same time that a blaze also razed through a 50-hectare portion of Mt. Banahaw.   

Meanwhile, DENR-Region 4-A executive director Reynulfo Juan has warned pilgrims that restrictions remain enforced on Mt. Banahaw and these may be extended indefinitely.