Walk for a Cause

Our lone source of water in Butuan City has been endangered by the illegal mining, illegal logging and illegal constructions within the Taguibo Watershed area.  Socio-civic organizations have been actively creating public awareness to save our only source of water here (there are pending cases too, but we can't talk about it here).

As I went down the office today, I chanced upon the Walk For Cause to save our said watershed. The front-liners were our diocesan priests, followed by  the officers and employees of Fr. Saturnino Urios University, the seminarians in the St. Peter’s Seminary, students from the various schools in the cities, and so on and so forth.

The Walk intended to call and pressure those lawless individuals to cease their illegal operations in the Taguibo Watershed Forest Reserve Area.  By the looks of the wrath brought about by Ondoy, I hope those !@#$$ persons heed the persistent plea and stop already, por favor!

By: yenskay

Taguibo Watershed: Before and After

This is a video that was uploaded on Youtube by a fellow Butuanon to show the damages within a month of continued illegal activities at Butuan City's main source of potable water, the Taguibo Watershed.

To know more about the issue read this previous post.

Walk and Pray for the Taguibo Watershed

From Save Taguibo Watershed Network (STWN):

Water is Life

There is an ongoing battle in Butuan. Concerned citizens from all sectors are staging a fight against illegal loggers and miners to save the Taguibo River Watershed Forest Reserve (TRWFR), Butuan's primary source of potable water and farmland irrigation.

The Taguibo watershed is one of the critical watersheds in Caraga that was declared as a Forest Reserve by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 1076 issued by then President Fidel V. Ramos on September 4, 1997. It covers a total area of 4,364 hectares for protection and conservation under the public domain of the City of Butuan and Municipalities of RTR and Cabadbaran in the province of Agusan del Norte.

It was discovered as early as 2005 that illegal activities such as logging, mining, and road construction, have been going on at the watershed. It has been four years since the issue was first raised by BCWD to the Regional Development Council (RDC). The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB) has issued a Cease and Desist Order dated August 9, 2005, but the issue  has resurfaced. Unlawful activities have resumed at the protected area, causing the rise in water turbidity level and forcing the Butuan City Water District (BCWD) to shut off water supply in Butuan during rainy days.

Butuanons are alarmed that if these illegal activities will not be stopped, further destruction will be done to the watershed and the whole city might end up with no water in the near future.

The advocacy to save the Taguibo Watershed is being spearheaded by BCWD, managed by Engr. Anselmo Sangtian, and the Fr. Saturnino Urios University (FSUU) community, headed by Rev. Fr. John Christian Young.

If you want to know more about how you can be part of this worthy cause, you may visit the following links:

http://www.savetaguibowatershed.com/
http://savetaguibowatershed.ning.com/
http://bcwdtaguibowatershed.multiply.com/
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/325349/45764240

 

(photos courtesy of bcwdtaguibowatershed.multiply.com)