ORANI, Bataan- Some residents on Tuesday expressed opposition to the construction by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of a viewing deck on an area carved out of a mountain in the upland village of Tala in Orani, Bataan.
They argued that the infrastructure would distract the full view of Mt. Natib and portions of the Bataan National Park (BNP).
The residents who refused to be named said DENR should instead discourage the building of high concrete structures along the mountain range. “Kung gusto lamang na makita ang kabuuan ng bundok, maaari namang umakyat sa mataas na bahagi nito at hindi na kailangan pang magpagawa ng viewing deck,” they said.
A check on Wednesday at the provincial office of DENR in Pilar, Bataan showed that the project was cancelled and studies are being made where to place the viewing deck but definitely not in Sitio Binutas mountain area in Tala where it was proposed.
“Binutas is a potential tourism area where mountain climbers and hikers pass so DENR thought of putting-up a viewing deck as monitoring station and where the caldera of Mt. Natib and big portions of BNP can be fully viewed,” forester Ed Kabigting, newly-assigned BNP Protected Area Superintendent (PASu) said.
He added that the winning contractor has just begun digging in the area but encountered some problems and decided not to go on with the project. “Hindi ko masabi kung may harassment ba o ano pero ang pakiusap ng contractor na kung maaari ilipat na sa ibang lugar,” Kabigting said.
The PASu said DENR funded the two-storey viewing deck for some P1 million.
The place was called Binutas, some seven kilometers uphill from Tala, because a company carved a road out of the mountain for its geo-thermal exploration project.
Visitors in the area can scan the mountain ranges of Mt. Natib and the Bataan National Park and feel and hear the sounds like whistles of blowing winds.
Kabigting said the Bataan National Park is composed of 18,335 hectares extending from the towns of Hermosa, Orani, Samal, Abucay, Bagac and Morong and the City of Balanga.
