Authorities in Bohol province on Monday, April 7, 2025, signed an agreement establishing a multi-agency council tasked with managing and protecting the Lubang Watershed in the municipality of Buenavista.
The Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), inked during a ceremony in Tagbilaran City, paves the way for the creation of the Lubang Watershed Management Council (LWMC), which will oversee conservation and sustainable governance of the 3,156-hectare watershed spanning 21 barangays.
Signatories included officials from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the provincial government of Bohol, the municipal government of Buenavista, and regional representatives from the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and Department of Agriculture (DA), among others.
Bohol Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado led the signing, joined by PENRO officer Jose Cleo Cary Colis—who also represents the Inabanga-Buenavista Mangrove Swamp Forest Reserve—and Buenavista Mayor Atty. Dave Duallo.
“The creation of the council is a firm commitment to protecting one of our most vital natural resources,” Aumentado said in a statement, emphasizing the watershed’s critical role in water supply, agriculture, biodiversity, and climate resilience.
The council will function as an oversight and advisory body, tasked with developing and implementing an Integrated Watershed Management Plan (IWMP), with support from a dedicated Watershed Management Planning Team.
Chaired by the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer and co-chaired by the governor, the council’s membership will include local government leaders, agency representatives, and may later expand to involve civil society and other stakeholders.
DENR-CENRO Talibon will serve as secretariat, providing technical and administrative support. Funding will be sourced from the DENR’s annual budget.
The agreement takes effect immediately.
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