A mountain guide from Bagac, Bataan has told PinoyMountaineer that illegal logging in Pantingan Peak, Mariveles Range has not only continued; it has worsened. His account is corroborated by photos taken by mountaineers as recently as just a week ago, which show fallen logs within the forests of Mariveles. The local government of Mariveles, Bataan, has apparently appealed to DENR to declare Mariveles as a protected area as early as 2009, and Mayor Jesse Concepcion reiterated this appeal in December 2012 but the national government is yet to act on this request.
Considering that the Mariveles Range is one of the few remaining forested mountains of Central Luzon, we do hope that the government takes action before it's too late. Every day of inaction means one more day of environmental destruction.
Photo courtesy of Mick de Jesus