Lazatin seeks to rename reforested watershed after Abong Tayag

Angeles City, Pampanga – Pampanga First District Representative Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr. has filed a resolution to rename the reforested portion of the Sapangbato Watershed here in honor of Kapampangan environmentalist Renato “Abong” Tayag Jr.

In House Resolution No. 77, Lazatin aims to honor Tayag for his life’s work in protecting the natural resources of Angeles City. Tayag was the founder of the Abacan River and Angeles Watershed Advocacy Council, Inc. (ARAW-ACI), one of the leading non-government organizations working for the preservation and reforestation of the Sapangbato Watershed.

In 2019, during Lazatin’s term as mayor, the Angeles City Government forged a partnership with ARAW-ACI for the Sapangbato Watershed reforestation program.

The reforestation kicked off in June 2020, initially targeting only 45,000 endemic trees to be planted in the area. By 2025, through the partnership with ARAW-ACI, a total of 145,041 seedlings have been planted.

On 29 July 2025, Lazatin also filed House Bill No. 2423, “An Act Declaring Sapangbato as a Protected Area in the Province of Pampanga, Providing for Its Management and for Other Purposes.”

HB 2423 aims to ensure the preservation of the ecological biodiversity within the Sapangbato Watershed through its establishment as a Protected Area.

Under the proposed bill, a Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) shall also be created to oversee the management of the Sapangbato Watershed.

The Sapangbato Watershed covers a land area of 546 hectares in the uplands of Barangay Sapangbato, which has been identified as Protected Agricultural Land.

The watershed was delineated from the Network of Protected Areas for Agriculture and Agro-Industrial Development (NPAAAD) of the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) of the Department of Agriculture, with a specific designation as Fragile Agricultural Land (Watershed Protection).