KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 6 March)– After seven years, various stakeholders from the public and private sectors formalized their commitment Wednesday for the protection and preservation of the Marbel Buluan Watershed, a vital biodiversity area spanning 121,000 hectares in the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao del Sur.
Catholic Church leaders expressed their support to the initiatives of the Marbel Buluan Watershed Management Alliance (MBWMA), the group that has been convening local government units and important stakeholders to protect and preserve the ecological integrity of the watershed in the area.
Atty. Farhana Datudacula, MDWMA interim technical working group chair, stressed that watersheds are indispensable natural systems that yield numerous advantages to society, encompassing water supply, flood management, erosion control, water quality enhancement, biodiversity preservation, recreational opportunities, and cultural significance.
“Acknowledging the importance of watersheds and adopting sustainable management practices is essential for securing their long-term health and ensuring the prosperity of communities reliant on them,” she said in her speech during the MBWMA Executive Summit at The Farm Convention Hall here.
The Marbel Buluan Watershed straddles Koronadal City and the municipalities of Banga, Norala, Tupi, Tampakan and Tantangan in South Cotabato; Tacurong City and the towns of Columbio, President Quirino and Lutayan in Sultan Kudarat; and, Paglat, Buluan, Pandag and Mangudadatu in Maguindanao del Sur.
South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat are part of Region 12 while Maguindanao del Sur is part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The governors of the three provinces sent their representatives to sign the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for their commitment to protect and conserve the Marbel Buluan Watershed (MBW).
Datudacula noted the MBW is a biodiversity hotspot and home to 2,804 streams or creeks surrounding the Roxas and Quezon Mountain Ranges, and is a headwater source for domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes.
In the Koronadal Valley Area alone, close to 5,000 farmers with an area of 7,557 hectares are benefiting from the MBW, she added.
According to its briefer, the MBW provides a “range of positive environmental benefits such as water filtration and storage, air filtration, carbon storage, nutrient cycling, soil formation, recreation, food, and timber cultivation.”
MBW is a catchment of major river systems namely the Marbel River, Palian River and Taplan River that drain towards Lake Buluan, which is shared by Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao del Sur provinces, and eventually drains to a common outlet going to Pandag town in Maguindanao del Sur, it added.
Lake Buluan, considered the third largest lake in Mindanao with an area of about 62 square kilometers, is a source of food and livelihood for locals, particularly tilapia production.
Catholic Bishop Cerilo Casicas, of the Diocese of Marbel, lauded the alliance’s efforts and vowed to support their undertakings to protect the watershed.
“The protection of watersheds is of particular importance in our efforts towards ecological sustainability. As Pope Francis reminds us, water is a precious gift, essential for all life forms, and yet it is increasingly threatened by pollution, deforestation, extractive industries and climate emergency,” he told the summit.
“By managing, preserving and restoring our watersheds, we not only ensure access to clean water but also uphold the dignity of human life, promote our socio-cultural fabric and safeguard the well-being of ecosystems,” the prelate added.
Casicas said the MOA signing “signifies significant commitment to collaborative action and environmental stewardship.”
“It is a testament to our shared responsibility to care for creation and promote the common good,” he added.
Casicas has been openly opposing the controversial mining project of Sagittarius Mines, Inc. (SMI), called the Tampakan copper-gold project in Tampakan town, and the coal mining project of San Miguel Corp. (SMC) in Lake Sebu town, both in South Cotabato province.
While he did not name these companies during his message of support for the MBW summit, the prelate earlier raised concerns on the impacts of the mining projects in the mountains to the environment, health, food security and livelihood in the directly affected communities and in low-lying areas.
SMI has yet to start its open-pit mining operations while SMC has started extracting the coal deposits, using the strip mining method, reportedly “for quality testing” at its coal plant in Malita, Davao Occidental.
Archbishop Emeritus Orlando Cardinal Quevedo, OMI, of the Archdiocese of Cotabato, also hailed the initiatives to protect the Marbel Buluan Watershed, saying he will pray for the success of the alliance’s conservation efforts.
Caring for God’s creation is every one’s responsibility, Quevedo, chair of the Mindanao River Basin Management Council, said in a video message.
In a statement, Augustus Bretaña, Koronadal City Environment and Natural Resources Office head, said the alliance is an example of decentralizing environmental protection to local governments.
“Under the 1991 Local Government Code (RA 7160), the LGUs are vested with local jurisdictions over forestry and fishery laws. They are mandated to co-manage with the national government the natural resources and the environment through the mechanism of devolution of the functions of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR),” he said.
Gabariel M. Baute, a technical working group member of the alliance from DENR-12, said the primary objective of watershed management is to balance different ecosystems so that products and services can be supplied continuously.”
“We strongly advocate for the establishment of the Marbel-Buluan watershed to safeguard regional ecosystems, ensure sustainable water resources, and foster environmental resilience,” Baute said.
The preservation of the Marbel Buluan Watershed is crucial for biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, and the livelihoods of local communities, said Siegfred M. Flaviano, South Cotabato Provincial Environment Management Office head.
“Its protection and sustainable management are paramount for both present and future generations,” he added.Apart from the LGUs, the alliance is also composed of the regional offices of national government agencies such as the DENR and the Department of the Interior and Local Government, among others, and non-government organizations. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
