![]() ![]() ![]() The appeal to repeal the mining permit was due to fear of the desecration of the historical site and continued loss of life due to flash floods and land slides. 28, 2010, a 6-year struggle by the people of Bulacan to halt the quarrying and mining operations in Biak-na-Bato National Park has come to an end when DENR decided that the permit given to Rosemoor Mining and Development Corp violated the Philippine Mining Act of 1995. It became a National Park in 1937 as proclaimed by Manuel L. Most of it was located in Barangay that shares the same name. Josie dela Cruz, illegal logging and mining operations were to blame for such incident which has become a regular occurrence in the area. In Philippine History, the Republic of Biak-na-Bato was the first republic declared in the country by Emilio Aguinaldo. The official report tells that the victims were swept away by flash floods while picnicking in the area. In September 2014, eight people, seven of which were children and teenagers, drowned in Madlum River in Biak-na-Bato National Park. The park also extends to the nearby munuciplalities of San Ildefonso and Dona Remedios Trinidad covering a total area of 2,117 hectares. Mount Susong Dalaga and Tilandong Falls are also popular attractions inside the park. Biak-na-Bato National Park is an important historical tourist destination located almost entirely within Brgy Biak-na-Bato in San Miguel,Bulacan from where it derives its name. Observation outposts of the former republic as well as ruins of stone fortifications also abound within the park, including a stone cliff with carvings, possibly over a hundred years old. Orchids, trees, shrubs, ferns, bushes and bokawe (buho) are some of the flora than can be found in the park. Nido birds or swiftlets also call the park home, as do monkeys, wild boars, eagles, monitor lizards, and other species of birds that nest in towering trees. Among the most explored caves are the Aguinaldo Cave, once the headquarters of President Emilio Aguinaldo, and the Bahay Paniki or Bat Cave, said to be home of at least six species of winged mammals: kabag-kabag, ngusong kabayo, bungisngis, sibsib, bayakan and pakibu. More than a hundred caves of varying sizes and crystalline mineral formations are spread across the park. Lorna Silverio have allocated funds for the development of the national park into an ecotourism spot, which is expected to create jobs for hundreds of local folk.Biak-na-Bato National Park is centered on a mountain gorge sliced by the Balaong River in the Sierra Madre mountain range. She confirmed an earlier STAR report that Gov. ![]() Gigi Simbulan, head of the Bulacan Tourism Council, told The STAR that government officials have devised a plan to convert the Biak na Bato National Park into a tourist destination. "We must address the needs of the people and that is livelihood," he said.Īccording to Duya, only 8,000 square kilometers of the countrys primary forest cover remain due to illegal activities in the uplands. Meanwhile, Mariano Roy Duya, of the Conservation International-Philippines, said efforts to protect the environment would not succeed by arresting illegal loggers and mining operators alone. Naguit, however, said the unabated destruction of the Sierra Madre range in Bulacan through mining, timber poaching and upland farming might trigger flash floods in the eastern part of the province as well as deeper and longer floods in the coastal towns of Hagonoy and Calumpit in western Bulacan. However, Rey Naguit, of the Buklurang Biak na Bato, believes that landslides might not occur in the national park in the near future. The landslides in Quezon, Aurora and Ormoc City (Leyte) are also still fresh in the minds of the NGOs members. The NGOs appeal came following the mudslide that flattened Barangay Guinsaugon in Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte, which left hundreds of villagers dead, injured or missing. The NGOs cited the role Biak na Bato played in the countrys history, being the place where General Emilio Aguinaldo established the Second Philippine Republic and where the first Constitution was written and approved in 1897. The appeal for a stop to marble mining in the 2,117-hectare national park arose from fears that the historic area might be desecrated. Joining the DBF in the move to preserve Biak na Bato are the Bulacan Tourism Council, Bulacan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Bulacan Koalisyon Inc. "This is a general appeal to the President and we will still (issue) separate appeals to concerned government agencies that will be more detailed," said Remedios Macalingcag, president of the Dangal ng Bulacan Foundation (DBF). MALOLOS CITY Dozens of non-government organizations (NGOs) in Bulacan signed an urgent appeal to President Arroyo here yesterday to save the Biak na Bato National Park from indiscriminate mining.
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