LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines – The provincial government of Albay yesterday said it would seek permission from the Department of Tourism (DOT) and other concerned organizations to become the lead agency in regulating the flow of trekkers to Mt. Mayon.
It considered the move as two students of the University of the Philippines got lost but were eventually rescued at the upper slope of the country’s most active volcano recently.
Cedric Daep, chief of the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office, said it is the DOT that currently regulates and issues permit to people, mostly tourists, who want to trek the 8,000-foot volcano.
With the current setup, Daep said they are having difficulty ensuring the safety of climbers both during normal and abnormal conditions at Mayon.
He said they would also conduct massive orientation or re-orientation for those who serve as guides to tourists climbing the treacherous terrain of Mt. Mayon.
“We would like to ensure that these guides are indeed equipped with accurate knowledge about Mayon Volcano, particularly the dangers that may befall the climbers anytime during their ascent,” Daep said.
Headlines ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1He said the climbers, particularly the foreigners, must also be given an orientation about Mt. Mayon before they are allowed to take the trek.
Albay Gov. Joey Salceda has ordered the province’s disaster management and tourism officials to draft guidelines in climbing Mt. Mayon which could be formulated as an ordinance.
“We would like to ensure the safety of our visitors by equally ensuring that their tour guides are well-trained, and that specific climbing protocol is properly observed,” Salceda said.
The Philippine Red Cross and local search and rescue groups in Albay earlier rescued Rosanne Aldeguer and Ramon Vizmanos, who were among 16 UP mountaineers who climbed the summit of Mt. Mayon last Dec. 27. (From Philstar.com)