The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is building two Protected Area Management Offices (PAMO) in the towns of Dinalungan and Dilasag, Aurora.
According to the DENR Central Luzon, the groundbreaking of the said offices aim to boost the management of protected areas amid increasing environmental threats in Central Luzon.
The facility in Dinalungan will stand on a 210 square-meter portion of 1,123 square-meter Simbahan Talagas Protected Landscape (STPL) in Sitio Inipit, Barangay Simbahan; meanwhile, the PAMO in Dilasag will be constructed on a 12,100 square-meter AMRO River Protected Landscape (ARPL) in Barangay Lawang, covering 210 square meters of the lot area.
Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Alfredo Collado reported that both facilities are envisioned to serve as functional offices and venues for meetings, training, environmental education activities, and stakeholder engagement initiatives of the DENR.
"Both buildings are expected to enhance the operational capacity of protected area management members and personnel in helping the DENR in carrying out its mandates to protect, conserve, develop, and manage the protected areas in the province of Aurora, particularly our rich biodiversity and forests in the province," Collado stated.
For his part, Regional Executive Director Ralph Pablo emphasized the importance of establishing PAMO within protected areas that enable members to effectively perform their duties and further strengthen on-site management and conservation efforts.
"Once completed, the PAMO buildings will provide a conducive working environment for personnel implementing protected area management activities, including biodiversity conservation, forest protection and law enforcement, wildlife monitoring, environmental education, stakeholder coordination, and community-based conservation initiatives within the protected areas," Pablo noted.
During the ceremony, the activity was personally attended by DENR RED Pablo, PENRO Collado, Casiguran community head Ariel Mendoza, Dinalungan Mayor Arvee Vargas, Dilasag Mayor Romner Agustin, protected area superintendents, PAMO members and personnel, and various stakeholders.