DAVAO CITY – The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) created a working group on Thursday to ensure the protection and preservation of the Asik-Asik Falls in Alamada town, North Cotabato.
In a statement on Friday, MinDA said the Alamada Watershed Council consists of the local government unit of Alamada led by Mayor Jesus Sacdalan, Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE), the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the Mindanao River Basin Council (MRB).
MinDA said the DENR would spearhead reforestation efforts in denuded areas through the National Greening Program wherein cash crops would be prioritized to integrate livelihood opportunities. Issues on land tenure would be under the supervision of DAR.
The FPE and MinDA will provide technical assistance for social preparation activities, as well as sourcing of funds and other assistance needed by the council, it said.
The council is just waiting for Sacdalan to issue an executive order to formalize the creation of the task force, MinDA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said, adding that the task force aims to formulate interventions that would benefit the area's residents.
"In every development done for the Asik-Asik Waterfalls, the communities around it should be involved in every step of the way," Piñol said.
He said initial actions identified by the council include an inventory and profiling of those living in the vicinity of the falls.
Piñol also said previous environmental management plans would be revisited and would serve as a basis in forming a
comprehensive watershed development plan, specifically for the Asik-Asik waterfalls and its surrounding communities.
The Asik-Asik Falls is known for its water that gushes out of the sides of a cliff then showers the headwaters of the Libungan River in Cotabato, before flowing to the vast Liguasan Marsh.
It was featured in the first episode of My Mindanao, an online web series by MinDA that promotes the beauty and bounty of the island. (PNA)
