'Heritage forest museum' set up in Oriental Mindoro

MANILA, Philippines - To highlight the bountiful natural resources and biodiversity of Mount Halcon in Mindoro island and to feature the rich culture and traditions of the people of Mindoro, some concerned government and non-government agencies have joined hands to establish a unique museum in Oriental Mindoro, with the opening of the first phase of Halcon Heritage Forest Museum which covers some 500 hectares of land within the area of Mt. Halcon in the municipality of San Teodoro in Mindoro. 

In a two-day stakeholders’ conference held recently in Eagle’s Nest Resort in Calapan City, representatives from the National Commission for the Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the municipal government of San Teodoro, and other concerned sectors such as Mangyan tribes in the area, all important aspects to realize this multi-million-peso project were discussed and agreed upon. 

According to NCCA Science and Technology Museums head Myrna Jimenez, one of the project organizers, the establishment of the forest museum in Oriental Mindoro is a long-term project which seeks to preserve and protect natural resources in the pinpointed area, as well as its flora and fauna, while at the same time introduce to visiting tourists the rich culture and traditions of Mindoreños.

Jimenez said the project, the first of its kind in the MIMAROPA Region, comprising the provinces of Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan, has an initial fund of P1 million from an anonymous Japanese foundation. Based on a memorandum of agreement signed by concerned groups, the said venture will be jointly undertaken by Earthday Network Philippines, the local government of San Teodoro, DENR Region IV-B, Halcon Mountaineers, NCCA and Hands-on Manila Foundation, Inc. 

Jimenez noted that Oriental Mindoro Governor Alfonso V. Umali, Jr. wants the project expedited as part of the priority environment project of the provincial government.