MT. GUITING-GUITING ATTRACTED SEN. LEGARDA
Sen . Loren Legarda has filled a bill that seeks to establish a sprawling natural park in Mt. Guiting-guiting in Sibuyan Island in Romblon. Legarda wants the proposed Mt. Guiting-guiting Natural Park established by an act of Congress.The proposed natural park shall cover some 15,475 hectares and span 15 barangays in the towns of Magdiwang, Cajidiocan and San Fernando, all in Sibuyan.In Senate Bill 2201, Legarda stressed the need for congress "to preserve and protect Guiting-guiting's unique bio-diversity as well as it's aesthetic and ecological value."Mt. Guiting-guiting is home to fascinating endemic flora and fauna. These includes four species of rodents and kind of bat discovered in the mid-1990s and found nowhere else in the world.
With an elevation of 2,058 meters, the mountain dominates the landscape of Sibuyan Island. It sustains the lives of, and is mystic symbol to 50,000 residents of 47,745-hectare island.Mt. Guiting-guiting is home to many threatened species, including the Philippine tube-nosed bat, previously known to originate only from Negros.About half of the island remains covered with mangrove and mossy forests. The island's lowland forest is known to be densest in the country in terms of species diversity, being the habitat of up to 54 endemic plant varities.The proposed natural park is expected to promote low-impact recreation and tourism that would, in turn, heighten public awareness of the need to preserve the environment according to Legarda.