STA. CRUZ town in Davao del Sur is gearing up for the annual Pista sa Kinaiyahan (Feast of Nature) on April 13-14, which will feature clean-up activities at Mt. Loay and the coast and a video. Meanwhile, the temporary closure of the Mt. Apo trail took effect April 1 to avoid potential forest fires and risks to climbers’ health due to the prevailing El Niño phenomenon. The regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) announced earlier in March the closure of all the other Mt. Apo trails in Magpet, Makilala, and Kidapawan.

INCOME
Meanwhile, the Sta. Cruz local government, through the Investment Promotions and Tourism Office, turned over last Monday the revenue shares of the indigenous community and the DENR-Integrated Protected Area Fund (IPAF) from trekking fees generated in the second half of 2018. The Kapiid Ka Banua received the share for indigenous people amounting to P526,440.50. The DENR-IPAF received P373,537.50 intended for local operations, and P124,512.50 for the national office.

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