The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) warned local officials and tourists in the world popular tourist town of El Nido that climbing the karst mountain in Taraw Cliff located in Brgy. Buena Suerte is risky.
DENR told them to secure clearance from their office to ensure the safety of the tourists and mountaineers.
Henry Adornado, Regional Executive Director (RED) of the DENR-MIMAROPA and the chairman of the El Nido Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area (ENTMRPA), said that until now there are still tourists who climb the Taraw Cliff unaware of the risk of climbing the steep rock formations in El Nido.
He reminded the municipal government officials and the barangay concerned that no tourists will be allowed to climb unless he or she secures permission from the DENR through the ENTMRPA.
Adornado emphasized that without the necessary gears and protective equipment, the safety of an individual might be jeopardized, therefore, a properly coordinated tour will prevent untoward incidents that might happen to tourists within the cliff.
“Climbing taraw is relatively risky without proper gears and trained guides for such tour considering the steep slopes and sharp rock formations along the route and that there are no facilities installed yet for the safe conduct of the activities,” he said.
On October 20, 2018, there was a foreign tourist who was critically injured after falling off the cliff. Incidents similar to this could have been prevented if the tour operators or the tourists secured clearance at their office to ensure safety.
Last year also, a few days after the incident, he wrote to the Punong Barangay of Buena Suerte, Ricky Ballena requesting the assistance of the barangay to monitor the area to ensure that no tourists to be allowed climbing at the karst mountain.
RED Adornado told El Nido Mayor Edna Gacot-Lim that the land classification status of taraw cliff is timberland and pursuant to DENR Administrative Order No. 2007-17, the utilization of Taraw Cliff needs to have a valid tenurial instrument which is a Special Use Agreement within Protected Area (SAPA).
“To date there’s no approved SAPA application for the utilization of the same. Therefore, nobody is authorized tour operator nor guide to offer the taraw climbing tour,” he said.
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