DENR Cebu takes hands off on the probe vs 7 Cebu hikers linked to Mt. Pulag fire

Unless instructed by their central office to coordinate, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Central Visayas (DENR – 7) will not participate in the filing of criminal complaints against seven Cebuanos accused of causing the forest fire at Mt. Pulag National Park in Benguet.

Stephanie Chan, the public information officer (PIO) of DENR – 7 told Cebu Daily News in a phone interview that their regional director, Gilbert Gonzales, has decide to leave entirely to the DENR’s central office in Quezon City, or its regional counterpart in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), where Benguet belongs, the decision on whether or not to sue the hikers.

“Our regional director (Gonzales) told us that the DENR in CAR has jurisdiction over the case even if reports say these hikers are from Cebu,” said Chan.

“If they want us to coordinate, we will be waiting for further instructions from them,” Chan added.

The DENR, in a statement posted on its website on Wednesday, said it was preparing criminal charges against those responsible for the fire that destroyed more than five hectares of grassland, including luscious grass and dwarf bamboo plants, inside the Mt. Pulag National Park in Benguet province last Saturday.

Initial investigation revealed that the blaze was caused by an explosion from a butane gas stove brought by a group of seven hikers from Cebu led by a certain Kristomar Mackay.

Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu was quoted as saying that the incident did not only recklessly endanger other people who were in the park at that time but also caused damage to precious forest resources.

“The DENR recognizes the impact of the fire had on the national park and we will pursue all legal avenues to bring those responsible to account,” Cimatu said.

DENR-CAR Regional Director Ralph Pablo said seven mountaineers from Cebu could face criminal charges for violation of Republic Act No. 7586 or the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act, and Presidential Decree No. 75, also known as the Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines.

Five hectares of grasslands from the Saddle Camp Site to the mountain’s northeastern slopes were razed by fire after the hikers left a butane gas stove that exploded.