THE REHABILITATION of Naboc River in the mining-rich area of Mt. Diwata was officially launched Tuesday with the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MoA) between the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, other national government agencies, and the provincial government of Compostela Valley. “The rehabilitation of Naboc River is among my priority programs,” DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said during the signing ceremony held at the DENR-Davao Region office in Davao City. Other agencies involved in the rehabilitation program are the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). The MoA signing jump-starts the desilting, quarrying and overall restoration program for the river. “The signing of the MoA will continue our efforts to nourish the Naboc River and the Diwalwal Mineral Reservation Area. We hope that our actions will bring hope to the people of Diwalwal and throughout the province. For better mining in the province,” Compostela Valley Gov. Jayvee Tyron L. Uy said in a statement in Visayan.

TASK FORCE
In 2018, Mr. Cimatu ordered the creation of the multi-sector Provincial Task Force Naboc River (PTFNR), the local counterpart of the National Task Force Diwalwal. One of the PTFNR’s immediate tasks was the transfer of processing plants from Mt. Diwata to Sitio Mabatas while the provincial government has been in charge of road network construction and land preparation for the relocation site of the mining community. The Philippine Mining Development Corp. has also allocated funds for the infrastructure development projects. DILG Undersecretary Epimaco V. Densing III said during the MoA signing: “The only way for us to clean our environment is for us to realize that tayo ang kalikasan (we are nature).”

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