Mt. Pulag, which is known as the highest mountain in Luzon, is temporarily closed to visitors due to a forest fire sweeping through villages in the town of Kabayan, Benguet province. The fire is estimated to have damaged 643 hectares of grassland and pine forests, according to local officials.
Photo from BUREAU OF FIRE PROTECTION KIBUNGAN
The Mt. Pulag Guides Association recommended the closing of the mountain, according to Kabayan Mayor Faustino Aquisan.
Mt. Pulag National Park Supervisor Emerita Albas said authorities had already closed the Akiki Trail since Sunday at the height of the forest fire.
On February 11 to 18, another fire scorched a 150-ha forest area in Benguet’s Kibungan, according to Col. Elmer Ragay, Benguet police director.
Mount Pulag is Luzon’s highest peak at 2,926 meters above sea level. The borders between the provinces of Benguet, Ifugao, and Nueva Vizcaya meet at the mountain’s peak. It is the third highest mountain in the Philippines, next to Mount Apo and Mount Dulang-Dulang.
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