DAVAO CITY, Philippines, 25 March — The country’s highest peak, Mt. Apo, will remain closed to mountaineers and trekkers for another five years.
The announcement came as a huge number of trekkers are set to climb Mt. Apo during the Christian lent.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Protected Area Management Board ordered the temporary closure, according to Department of Tourism 11 Asst. Director Roger Layson during a press briefing here Saturday.
“They all would want to climb back and conquer Mt. Apo but it is still being closed, so they can’t go otherwise... we tell them that they have to wait (until it will be opened),” Layson said.
Complaints, he said, came from “die-hard” Mt. Apo climbers who were saddened by the reported closure of Mt. Apo, which was earlier banned for climbers for two years since June 2000.
Earlier, it was reported that the PAMB will keep the country’s highest peak closed for rehabilitation.
Last February, PAMB and the provincial governments of Davao del Sur and North Cotabato initiated a cleanup drive in Mt. Apo.
Despite the closure, there were reports that tons of garbage have accumulated in the mountains, compelling the government to conduct a cleanup campaign.
