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Gomez tackles worsening condition of Leyte watershed

Leyte 4th District Rep. Richard Gomez discusses the worsening condition of the Palompon Watershed Forest Reserve in Leyte in an interview on Oct. 8, 2025. He emphasized the urgent need to address pollution, forest loss, and encroachment that continue to threaten the area’s ecological balance. Gomez called on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and local government officials to strengthen protection efforts and rehabilitate the watershed.

KAISER JAN FUENTES

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00:00To protect that Palumpong PWFR is to really make it APA with the protected area status in place.
00:08People will be there to protect and conserve the area.
00:12Kasi ang misinformation na ginagawa ngayon ng ibang tao doon, ng opposing forces, especially the LCU,
00:18kasi sabihin na, pag ginawa natin ng protected area to PWFR itong Palumpong, ipahawa ang mga tao, which is not true.
00:24In fact, because nasa kapabayaan ng gobyerno, the national offices, DNR, DAR, and other offices, and the local government unit,
00:34dumami na yung tao doon sa area and nasira na.
00:37So what do we do? We do not take other people. We let them stay there and imbigyan sila ng programs to further protect the area
00:44for it to be able na matikla siya as a protected area.
00:48Ibig sabihin, kung ako nakatira doon sa area ito, if I know that this is a protected area,
00:55the government, the civil society will give us programs for livelihood, and then ang mag-benefit ito, yung mga nakatira doon.
01:04Then we will further protect yung PWFR ng Palumpong.
01:08Kasi tubig talaga yung nasira na doon yung tubig.
01:14Nasira yung forest, yung flora and fauna nasira.
01:18And we have to rehabilitate that.
01:20Hindi pwede na, ang sabihin natin, hindi si pumasok na yung tao, pumasok na yung commercialism.
01:25Sige, pwede natin gawing protected area.
01:27That is the wrong approach.
01:30The proper approach is, since we're here, we should further protect our environment.
01:36Tapos gano'n ang mindset natin sa gobyerno.
01:41Let's further protect this area by helping yung mga nakatira na doon,
01:47by giving them strong programs, sila yung magbe-benefit mismo,
01:52and hindi nila kailang umalis.
01:54Aalagaan nila yung lugar because they know that they're making a living out of it.
01:57Kumikita sila.
01:59And maraming programs na ganyan ang government.
02:03Kung kaming depredations sa protected area sa Palumpong,
02:05how is this affecting the neighboring outdoors?
02:08Oh, kasi pagdanig naman yung map, malaking mountain yan eh.
02:13Yung PWFR niyan.
02:15And at the back of that is Isabel.
02:18Further back is Ormo.
02:19So, pag nasira yung, nang gusto yung Palumpong, sila doon yung watershed ng Isabel,
02:25pati yung Ormo, patatamaan gano'n.
02:28And that is what we're trying to protect.
02:31Kasi as it is right now,
02:33nasamana ng water quality ng PWFR in Palumpong,
02:38in the three outlying barangayes.
02:40Because nga pinabayaan lahat ng mga raw materials galing sa manok,
02:47sa dressing plant,
02:49yung mga yulanda ng mga dilata,
02:52doon tinapon lahat.
02:53And ang dami.
02:54Ang dami talaga.
02:55So, doon talaga,
02:56yung talaga nakasira doon sa water quality.
02:59And then, aside from that,
03:00yung local government ng Palumpong,
03:02hindi na binabantay yung mga nakatera doon.
03:04So, yung fecal coliform,
03:06tumataas ang tumataas dahil walang pozo negro.
03:09Walang chambers para malinis yung tubig.
03:12Galing sa banyo,
03:13bago siya lumabas,
03:14maging outlet,
03:15yung malinis yung tubig,
03:16pinabayaan ng mga.
03:18So, if we will not continue that,
03:19if they will not help the community there,
03:22tuloy-tuloy lang yun.
03:23That is, ganyan yung nakabuti ko dito sa Ormo City
03:26when I became mayor in 2016.
03:28Nakita ko na,
03:30there are roughly about 2,000 homes
03:33in Ormo City na walang pozo negro.
03:37So, that became one of my first and biggest programs
03:41na yung mga,
03:42especially yung mga resettlement area,
03:45yung mga informal settlers na area,
03:50dami walang pozo negro.
03:53So, yun yung pinunabayad namin.
03:55So, bumaba yung fecal coliform ng Ormo Bay.
03:58And may kitang talaga,
03:59kapag science-based ka,
04:03pag-evidence-based yung data mo,
04:06may kitang talaga yung effect ng tamang programa.
04:08So now,
04:09pagkita mo yung Ormo Bay,
04:11bumaba na lang,
04:12bumaba yung fecal coliform yung tubig namin,
04:14pati yung phosphate,
04:15dahil nga,
04:16dito sa,
04:17sa same thing,
04:18o sony.
04:19wages,
04:20fa'na armhole you,
04:22ba-da!
04:37ba-da!
04:37ba-da!
04:38ba-da!
04:39ba-da!
04:39ba-da!
04:40ba-da!
04:40ba-da!
04:41ba-da!
04:41ba-da!
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