Province stands firm on Mantalingahan

The Provincial Board stood firm on its decision that Mt. Mantalingahan range should remain as a protected area, reiterating the Board’s resolution which supported its declaration as such.

The statement came out following a resolution submitted to them by Brooke’s Point Federation of Tribal Councils (BROFETRICS), an indigenous people group known for supporting mining in Palawan.

Brofetrics was appealing for the Provincial Board to “support the stand of indigenous people in Brooke’s Point opposing the plan for Mt. Mantalingahan to be declared as a protected area.”

“Actually, this resolution is very much late because the Board, acting on prior resolution of the local government units, adopted a resolution in support of this Mt. Mantalingahan protected area,” Vice-Gov. David Ponce de Leon said during the 73rd regular session of the Provincial Board.

According to him, Gov. Joel Reyes had also already pronounced the support of the province for the Mantalingahan to be declared protected. Ponce de Leon added that the mountain range “has to remain a protected area.”

The proposal was already endorsed in Malacañang, waiting for the president’s final approval.

Brofetrics, in a previous press conference, said that their opposition was also sent to Malacañang.

“We will just inform the officers of this indigenous people group that the Provincial Board acts in favor of the municipalities surrounding this Mt. Mantalingahan,” chairman of the Board’s environment committee, Gil Acosta, said during a committee report.

Mt. Mantalingahan range covers five municipalities in southern Palawan and is considered as the highest mountain peak in the province. Several new species of plants and animals were discovered here by scientists during the past years.

Brofetrics’ legitimacy, on the other hand, was already questioned by other groups of indigenous people.

The Koalisyon ng Panglima, also in Brooke’s Point, said in a previous interview with Palawan Sun that members of Brofetrics were not really IPs. They were from Cuyo and Agutaya, the coalition added.