Last week, about five hectares of grasslands in the Mount Pulag National Park in the Province of Benguet caught fire when a butane gas stove exploded.  Seven hikers from Cebu might face criminal charges for their negligence.  It is a common practice now among hikers to bring butane gas stoves which they use to cook their meals during overnight camping trips.  One thing which they don?t bring, however, are portable fire extinguishers, so it makes sense if forest rangers would start requiring hikers to bring fire extinguishers too. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is the agency mandated to protect Mount Pulag and other National Parks. According to DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu, ?Mt. Pulag has one of the richest biodiversities from the foot of the mountain to its summit and we must all be responsible agents for its conservation."  As a result of the fire, Mount Pulag will be closed to hikers for six months.

Mount Pulag is actually the highest mountain in the island of Luzon at 9,600 feet above sea level and the third highest in the entire country after Mount Apo and Mount Dulang-dulang.  It is part of the Cordillera Mountain Range.  It was proclaimed as a National Park way back in 1987 and covers an area of 11,550 hectares.  This mountain straddles the three provinces of Benguet, Ifugao and Nueva Vizcaya.  Mount Pulag is famous for its beautiful sunrise views.

Several ethnic groups inhabit parts of Mount Pulag National Park.  Among them are the Ibalois, Ifugaos, Ilocanos and Kankanays.  In the caves in the Benguet portion of Mount Pulag, one will find the Kabayan Burial Caves where the Ibalois place their mummified dead.  This areas were proclaimed as National Cultural Treasures under a Presidential Decree.

The Mount Pulag National Park is a highly biodiverse area and the natural habitat of endemic flora and fauna.  Some threatened animal species found in the area are the Philippine Brown Deer, the Northern Luzon Giant Cloud Rat and the Luzon Pygmy Fruit Bat.  Also found in the area are rare flora such as the Pitcher Plant, the Dwarf Bamboo and the Benguet Pine.