ALL forest and fire protection officers in Albay province are on high alert against the threat of potential wildfires within the vicinity of Mayon Volcano.
Environment Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje has ordered officials in Region 5 to be vigilant to reduce the risk of disaster originating from the volcano.
Paje warned that volcanic eruptions and wildfires pose serious hazards not only to the human population but also to the surrounding natural ecosystems.
“We have to be ready for potential wildfires, including whatever intervention may be needed to protect natural ecosystems that are highly vulnerable to catastrophic damage the volcanic explosion may cause,” Paje said in a statement. Local forestry officials were also asked to ensure the protection of the seedlings to be planted at the foot of Mount Mayon under the Aquino administration’s National Greening Program (NGP), particularly those within the 76,770-hectare Quinale watershed.
Paje said the watershed area is very important to the province’s irrigation needs and agricultural activities, as well as in terms of flood prevention, especially in the towns of Oas, Polangui and Libon, and the city of Ligao.
There are at least 81 NGP sites in the province covering 5,269 hectares of forestland, which are being maintained by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), in collaboration with civil-society groups and host communities in the cities of Legazpi, Tabaco and Ligao, and the towns of Camalig, Daraga, Guinobatan and Santo Domingo.
Paje has also directed the executive director of the DENR-Region 5 to tap the various Regional Forest Fire Respondent Teams (RFFRTs) “should the situation calls for their services.”
RFFRTs are composed of special units called “Leatherbacks” coming from the DENR field offices, the Bureau of Fire Protection and volunteer groups. They are tasked to conduct round-the-clock monitoring and initiate quick response during wildfires.
The DENR is now preparing thematic maps, and the profile of timberlands and protected areas in the region that will serve as guide in the posting of the RFFRTs. The maps will include trails and access roads, location of water sources and forest-ranger stations.
Paje said the DENR will also tap beneficiaries of the community-based forest-management projects in Albay to establish fire and green breaks.
“Stakeholders such as forest-based communities are better able to deal immediately with fire emergencies. Their services will help us respond quickly when fire breaks out in remote places,” Paje said. The NGP, which was created in 2011 under Executive Order 26, aims to plant 1.5 billion trees within 1.5 million hectares of forestlands, mangrove and protected areas, ancestral domains, civil and military reservations, and urban areas by 2016.