DENR probes Apo trekkers
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is investigating a group of mountaineers who climbed Mt. Apo after it has been closed to trekkers.
DENR regional director Joselin Marcus Fragada said they received reports that a guide from Davao City brought 11 trekkers to Mt. Apo on May 20 and 21.
Fragada said the investigation would determine whether criminal charges would be filed against the mountaineers.
He said the DENR had called for a meeting of representatives of the Department of Tourism, Mindanao Mountaineering Community, Mountaineering Federation of Southern Mindanao and the chairman of Barangay Kapatagan in Digos City.
Under Republic Act 9237 or the Mt. Apo Protected Area Act, anyone who violates the rules and regulations promulgated by the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) faces a fine of P5,000 to P100,000 and up to six years imprisonment.
PAMB declared Mt. Apo off- limits to trekkers for five years starting in April after a forest fire hit the mountain.
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