Butuan City (10 November) -- Following the move of its Board of Trustees (BOT) to include the representation of the House of Representatives of the districts in the BOT as honorary member, the Lake Mainit Development Alliance (LMDA) recently drafted an act creating the Lake Mainit Development Authority, prescribing its powers, functions and duties, appropriating funds thereof, and for other purposes.
The drafted bill which was presented to the BOT on Tuesday, November 9 during its 14th regular meeting, seeks the creation of Lake Mainit Development Authority as the management body of Lake Mainit Watershed, the main ecosystem that flows into the Lake Mainit from the provinces of Agusan del Norte and Surigao del Norte then flows out to the Butuan Bay and its coastal areas.
Lake Mainit is the fourth largest lake in the Philippines and second largest in Mindanao, considered as the deepest and cleanest in the country, straddles the southern part of Surigao del Norte and Agusan del Norte.
The diverse ecosystem and abundant resources of Lake Mainit had been commonly shared by the four lakeshore municipalities of Alegria, Mainit, Kitcharao and Jabonga, with the two upstream and headwater municipalities of Sison and Tubod, and with the downstream municipalities of Santiago and Tubay.
Lake Mainit's watershed is composed of five ecosystems namely: upland, lowland, rivers, lake and coastal areas. The sustainability of the lake and its environment has been challenged by the increasing demand of the growing population in the area.
The bill also emphasized the need for the establishment of the LMDA as an institutional model of an ecosystem based development planning and management, to ensure that sustainable development, as the main strategy, would preserve the natural environment of the Lake Mainit for future generations. (PIA-Caraga)
From original post: PIA website
