BAGUIO CITY — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said it is maintaining continuous monitoring, in coordination with police authorities, at the Mount Santo Tomas Forest Reserve to ensure strict compliance with the Permanent Environmental Protection Order (PEPO).

DENR personnel are stationed at the reserve to regulate entry and oversee activities within the protected area, with enforcement efforts focused on preventing the further expansion of vegetable gardens and residential structures. Authorities said clear boundary delineation has been implemented, and an inventory of existing gardens has already been completed. While established developments have been documented, new encroachments are being met with Notices of Violation and Cease and Desist Orders.

A major aspect of current enforcement involves legal action against a former congressman over the alleged “improvement” or development of property within the reserve. DENR officials clarified that such activities are prohibited under the PEPO, regardless of how they are characterized by the developer.

As a result, the Office of the Solicitor General has filed contempt charges against the former lawmaker. The case is now pending before the Court of Appeals.

Authorities also provided updates on a proposed five-star hotel project by Landco Corporation in the lower portion of the forest reserve near Badiwan, Tuba, and Balacbac in Sto. Tomas Proper, Baguio City. The project remains in the early consultation stage and has yet to apply for an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC). It also requires a Certification Precondition from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).

To ensure transparency and judicial oversight, the DENR said it continues to submit quarterly monitoring reports to the Court of Appeals, detailing enforcement activities and the status of criminal cases filed against environmental violators within the reserve.