𝐍𝐏𝐂 – 𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐖𝐀𝐓 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐭

To raise awareness on the challenges brought about by forest fires and to create a community-based forest fire management plan, NPC’s Upper Agno River Watershed Area team (UARWAT) has recently conducted another forest fire management in Bokod, Benguet.

Held in partnership with the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources and the Bureau of Fire Protection, the workshop taught the participants the importance of forests to communities and the factors that threaten our natural resources. PENRO Benguet’s Oliver Bilango also shared skills in suppressing fire and the elements that affect the behavior of fire. Bokod Fire Station’s Richard B. Contero on the other hand shared experiences and lessons learned from his experiences as a member of the BFP.

Meanwhile, UARWAT’s Franklin Mariano presented the five-year history of forest fires in Bokod to allow a realization of the importance of the activity and the community’s contribution toward forest preservation. UARWAT chief Benjamin Kimmayong introduced the draft community-based fire management plan and led an open discussion. The Upper Agno Watershed Reservation is located at the southeast edge of the Cordillera in the province of Benguet. It contains the catchment area that feeds the Ambuklao and Binga dams. It is one of the 11 watersheds being managed by NPC.