ANGELES CITY Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr. has asked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to clear all illegal structures in the 150-hectare Sapangbato Watershed Protection area.
In a letter to DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga, Mayor Lazatin has sought the agency’s “assistance and intervention in taking the necessary enforcement actions, including the issuance of cease-and-desist orders, investigation of violations, and clearing of all illegal structures within the Watershed Protection Area of Angeles City.”
This, as illegal structures had cropped up in the upland areas of the protected watershed area.
“The City Government of Angeles is prepared to coordinate with your office and other relevant agencies to ensure strict compliance with environmental laws and to safeguard the watershed for future generations,” according to Mayor Lazatin.
“Our recent field inspection identified several unauthorized structures built in areas with a slope greater than 18%. This violates key provisions of environmental regulations, specifically, Section 15 of Presidential Decree No. 705 (Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines) and other laws aimed at the protection of watershed areas. The development of structures in such steeply sloped areas greatly increases the risks of landslides, soil erosion, and long-term degradation of vital natural resources,” Mayor Lazatin said.
He said the protection and preservation of the Watershed Protection Area is crucial in ensuring the future of Angelenos and the whole of Pampanga.
Angeles City was already experiencing flooding during the rainy season and if the trees in the Sapangbato Watershed disappear, Angeles City and its nearby cities such as Mabalacat and the low-lying areas of the City of San Fernando are expected to become catch basins.
During his first term in 2019, Mayor Lazatin had partnered with the Abacan River and Angeles Watershed-Advocacy Council Inc. (ARAW-ACI), led by businessman Renato “Abong” Tayag Jr., to regreen the area to protect the water aquifer which is being affected by the presence of golf courses in the encompassing communities.
The Angeles LGU has since planted more than 100,000 trees along with various organizations such as Converge ICT Solutions, Angeles City Water District, Balibago Waterworks System, Porac Bank, Holy Family Academy Batch ’80, Philippine Academy of Family Physicians Angeles chapter, De La Salle Alumni Association, Inc., ScrubbedNet, Angeles Rotary Club Kuliat, Jocson College, Ocampo’s Jewelry and DKL Manufacturing.