MASSIVE commercial planting of cabbage, potatoes and carrots within the Mt. Apo National Park continues unchecked to this day, according to an officer of the Kapwa Upliftment Foundation, Inc.
During a press conference in connection with the cacao summit convened by newly-minted secretary of the Department of Agriculture, William Dar, business reporters and editors in attendance were told that the unabated planting of these commercial vegetable crops is aggravating the denudation of Mt. Apo, a protected area declared by law a long time ago.
Foundation project coordinator Miraflor Joy Austria raised the alarm that Mt. Apo is getting balder by the day due to the commercial gardens.
During the cacao summit last Saturday, Austria’s group appealed to Agriculture secretary Dar to balance the promotion of planting cacao over cabbage, potatoes, carrots and bananas, considering that Mt. Apo is not only a protected area but also an anchestral domain of the Bagobo-Tagabawa tribe.
“There is a need to balance the planning of cacao and vegetables so as not to destroy the soil fertility of the area, since vegetables are dependent on chemicals, aside from causing massive erosion of the area,” Austria argued.
This is a new challenge faced by Mt. Apo, which began its slide to desertification during the glory days of greedy loggers who wiped out the timberstands with wanton abandon thinking only of the dollars they were amassing as a result.
This new threat to Mt. Apo is real, and concerned citizens await the coming of a leader with political will who would put a stop to this madness.
