C.

ENVIRONMENTALGOVERNANCE

LANDRESOURCES

Thelandresourceisbroadlycategorizedintotwo(2):forestlandandAlienableandDisposable
land. Within the forestland, it is presumed that land resource is preserved to maintain the ecological
balanceintheprovince.Ontheotherhand,itiswithintheAlienableandDisposablelandwherevarious
economicanddemographicdevelopmentscenariosarelikelytooccur.

1.FORESTRESOURCES

Cavite Province lies in the western monsoon forest zone where tropical rain forest is
characteristically natural vegetation. Today, the existing forest area within the province totals to
approximately8,625hectares.TheforestareasareclassifiedastothoseareasdeclaredasNationalPark
byvirtueofPresidentialProclamationNo.1594andcategorizedasProtectedLandscapeunderR.A.7586
otherwise known as National Integrated Protected Area System (NIPAS) and the unclassified forest
(NonNIPAS).

TheonlyproclaimednationalparkintheProvinceofCaviteistheMts.PalaypalayandMataas
naGulodNationalParklocatedatTernateandMaragondonwithanareaof4,000hectares.Meanwhile,
unclassifiedforestsarefoundalongTagaytayRidge,Maragondon,MagallanesandAlfonso.

AreaandLocationofForest,ProvinceofCavite

City/Municipality TypeofForest Area(inHas.)

TagaytayCity UnclassifiedForest 1,779.520
Alfonso UnclassifiedForest 432.092
Magallanes UnclassifiedForest 142.014
Ternate UnclassifiedForest 1,248.700
Maragondon UnclassifiedForest 5,022.630
Total 8,624.956

FORESTPRODUCTS

ForestProducts Location
Almaciga,Timber,Bamboorattan,vine, Ternate
wildplants&animals
Timber,Bamboo,Rattanfirewood Magallanes
Bamboo,Usiw,Buho,RattanFirewood, Maragondon
lumber
Bamboo,Cogon,Rattan,Cabonegro Gen.Aguinaldo
processedintorope

Thenationalparkhasthepotentialforecotourismduetoitswidediversityoffloraandfauna
andwiderangeofaccessibility.Itsdevelopmentasanecotourismdestinationwouldenhanceitsvalue
as biodiversity conservation area; open laboratory of scientific, biological and other research studies;
andvenueforrecreationandpleasureofthepublic.However,despiteofitsbrightpotential,thereare
still issues and concerns that need to be resolved to balancely explore and preserve the parks rich
featuressuchasintrusionofforestoccupantsthathasresultedindeforestationandlossofbiodiversity
in some parts of the protected lands, and adverse claim over some parts of the protected areas by
PuertoAzulLandInc.(PALI),andtheheirsofDeGuiaandAldeguerduetoboundarydispute.

To regulate activities within the protected area, DENR issued Department Order No. 02 inthe
year2002(DAO200202)toimplementthe Establishmentand ManagementoftheCommunityBased
Programs in Protected Areas. At present, there are twentyeight (28) families who are recognized by
DENR as tenured migrants settling in a three parcel forest lands with a total of more or less 240
hectares within the protected areas. Their activities are being monitored by DENR to ensure that
provisionsandregulationsstipulatedinDAO200202arebeingobserved.

MOUNTAINS

Name Location
PicodeLoro Maragondon
Mt.PalayPalay TernateMaragondon
Mt.Buntis Maragondon
Mt.MataasnaGulod Maragondon
Mt.Nagpatong Maragondon
Mt.Hulog Maragondon
Mt.Gonzales TagaytayCity

1.1MINERALRESOURCESANDRESERVES

The greater parts of Cavite are composed of volcanic materials, tuff, cinders, basalt, breccias,
agglomerateandinterbeddingsofshales,andsandstones.Thedormantandactivevolcanoes(Taal)are
within this volcanic area and have been the sources of volcanic materials which form the Tagaytay
Cuesta.Thedrainagesystemsaredeeplyentrenchedinthetuffs,erodingthininterbeddedsandstones
andconglomeratewhicharethesourcesoflittlereservesofsandandgravelinthelargerstream.Adobe
stonequarriesalsoflourishinthetuffareas.

Cavite coastal areas have marl and conglomerate and igneous rocks prominent in the high,
mountainous regions of western Cavite. Black sands are found in Kawit. Noveleta has its own salt
products. Magallanes have gravel deposits while reserves of sand and gravel materials are found in
Alfonso,Carmona,Gen.Aguinaldo,Naic,Ternate,MaragondonandSilang.Brokenadobewhichisfound
asinnerdeposits,isalsoofunlimitedvolumeinMaragondon.

1.2NAMEDISLANDS

In 1909, Executive Order No. 124 of GovernorGeneral W. Cameron Forbes, declared Act No.
1748annexingCorregidorandtheIslandsofCaballo(FortHughes),LaMonja,ElFraile(FortDrum),Sta.
Amalia,Carabao(FortFrank)andLimbones,aswellasallwatersanddetachedrockssurroundingthem
totheCityofCavite.
WATERRESOURCES

1.SURFACEFRESHWATERRESOURCES

The hydrological network of the province is composed of main rivers and tributaries having a
general direction of flow from the highlands of Tagaytay going to Manila Bay and stretching from the
MunicipalityofBacooruptoTernate.Theprovinceiscutbysix(6)majorrivers.Theseare:Maragondon
River,LabacRiver,CaasRiver,SanJuanRiver,BacoorRiverandImusRiver.Therearealsolargenumber
ofsprings,particularlyintheuplandareawhichcanbetappedfordomesticandindustrialuses.Some
partsoftheprovincehavewaterfallswhichsupplynotonlythewaterrequirementsofthepeoplebut
canalsobedevelopedastouristattractions.AhighprecipitationfromJunetoOctoberprovidesforthe
occurrence of large quantities of surface water which may offer a great potential for irrigated
agriculturaldevelopment.

2.GROUNDWATERRESOURCES

InthelowlandareascoveringthetownsofBacoor,Imus,GeneralTrias,Dasmarias,Naic,Tanza,
Ternate, hundreds of artesian wells and deep wells provide the water supply for both domestic and
irrigation purposes. Due to the presence of numerous wells in the lowland municipalities, over
extractiontakesplacewhichusuallyresultstosaltintrusionintheaquifers.Intheuplandareasofthe
Province,groundwateristappedmainlyfordomesticuse.

Based on the geology of Cavite (see Map 7), most of the ground water is stored in the
pyroclasticrockreservoirandlittleinthevolcanoandclasticrock.Potablewaterisnotreportedinthe
nearshoreduetothepresenceofalluviumdepositswhichmaybebrackishandsaline.
Freeflowingwellsoccurinthe30meterelevationofSouthernTanzaandinthelowerportionsofnear
shoreNaicandTernate.InImus,freeflowingwellyieldswere120ft.deepwellsdrilledatelevationof
about15meters.

A source of groundwater is infiltrated rainfall which serves as the direct source of most near
surface aquifers. Inflow from surface water reservoir and irrigation water contributes to the ground
water.

3.MAJORRIVERS

TherearesixmajorriversintheprovinceofCavite.ThesearetheMaragondon,Labac,Caas,
SanJuan,BacoorandImusRivers.Theserivershavevarioustributariesthatpassthroughthedifferent
municipalities

There are also a lot of springs, waterfalls and river in the province, particularly in the upland
area, which could be tapped for domestic, tourism, and industrial uses. These include Balite Spring
(Amadeo), Saluysoy Spring (Alfonso), Matang Tubig Spring (Tagaytay), Malakas Spring (General
Aguinaldo),andUloSpring(Mendez).CaviteisalsoblestwithsomewaterfallssuchasPalsajinginFalls
(Indang), Balite Falls (Amadeo), Malibiklibic Falls (Gen. Aguinaldo), Talonbutas Falls (Gen. Aguinalso)
and Saluysoy Falls (Alfonso). Tala River (Gen. Aguinaldo) which is conducive for recreation and leisure
suchaspicnics.

 Cavitesmajorriversarealreadyaffectedbypollution.ZapoteRiverreceivesalotofdomestic
sewageandsolidwastesfromBacoorandLasPias.Imus,CaasandRioGrande(tributaryofSanJuan
River)arealsoheavilypollutedduetoillegaldumpingofdomesticandhumanwastes.Evensmallrivers
servingastributariesarelikewisepronetowaterpollutionduetohouseholdwastesbeingcarrieddown
tothebodiesofwaterfromcontaminatedopencanalsandwaterways.

MajorRivers,ProvinceofCavite

Length
NameofRiver PointofOrigin Drainagelocation
(km)
1.BocoorRiver 12.3 Pintong Gubat, Molino passing Tanzang Luma, BacoorBay
SalinasandPanapaan Bacoor

2.BocoorRiver 38.4 North of Tagaytay passing Balite Sabutan, Biga, BacoorBay
Silang,Palapala,Dasmarias,PasongBayog,San Bacoor
Agustin and connect to Pasong Bayog passing
Salitran, Baluctot, Anabu II & Anabu I going to
TanzangLuma,Palico,ImusdowntoSalinasand
Mabolo, Bacoor toward drainage. Tributaries
which started from bucal going to San Agustin
joined/connect Imus River in Pasong Bayog.
Tributaries found in Baluctot also drain in Imus
River.

3.aSanJuanRiver 39.0 Maitim, Amadeo passing Maitim, Lalaan I, BacoorBayKawit
Silang,Dagatan,Banaybanay,Calubcob,Panung
yanan, Javalera, Biclatan, Mangahan, Jaime
Baker, Buenavista, Pasong Kawayan, Bacao,
Gen.Trias,Sta.Rosa,Noveletaandputol,Kawit.
TributariesinBucandalaandPanamitan.

3b.IlangIlang 1. Pasong Camachile River which started from ManilaBay
River SantiagopassingSanGabrielinconnectwith
SanJuanRiver
2. San Jose, Dasmarias converging with San

JuanRiveratBacao

4.CariasRiver 38.9 Two major contributory sources both in ManilaBay
TagaytayCity

1. FromKaybagal,TagaytayCitypassingLoma,
Amadeo going to Polanan River, San
Agustin, Gregorio, Osorio, Lucbanan,
Conchu, Inocencio, Trece Martires City;
Alingaro,Gen.TriaspassingLublubanRiver,
Santol,BucaltoJuluganTanza
2. Also from Tagaytay City going to Salaban,

 Amadeo; Balagbag, Mahabang Kahoy,

Limbon, Alulod, Indang and connect to
Paradahan,Tanza
3. Other tributaries are found in Buna Lejos,
LimbonconnectinginAlulod
5.LabacRiver
30.5 Two contributory rivers located in the upland ManilaBay
area
1. Starting from Buna Lejos, Indang passing
Buna Cerca to Calumpang River going to
Palangue, Naic to Kayalamang River
passingSanRoquedowntoLabacRiver.
2.
3. Patutong Malaki, Tagaytay City passing
Habulin River, Barangay II & III, Mendez
goingtoKayquit,IndangstraighttoBanaba
CercagoingtoMalainenBago,Naic
MaragondonRiver
35.6 Multisources ManilaBay
1. Banaba Lejos passing Pantihan I & II.
Tributariesare:
a. Habulin river passing East Tambo to
BanabaLejos
b. From Palocpoc passing Lumampong
andBanabaLejos

2. MagayRivertoMaragondonRiver
3. Narvaez River passing Tabora to
MaragondonRiver
a. Matagbak
b. Buruhan River passing Sinaliw na
MuntiandSinaliwnaMalaki
4. Aliang River in Magallanes starting from
Kaytitinga joined Narvaez River passing
Tabora
5. Another river (unnamed) from west of
Kaytitinga and Aliang River passing
Magallanes and joined Tabora to
MaragondonRiver

Source:NationalIrrigationAdministration,Naic,Cavite

 The provincial government of Cavite, in collaboration with the local government units in the
municipal and in the barangay levels, intensifies information/ education campaigns to encourage
adoption of proper wastes disposal and management technologies. Clean up and rehabilitation drives
forriversarebeingdoneincollaborationwithcivicorganizationsinthecommunitylevel.Protectionand
conservationofwatershedsarelikewisebeingmadetoprotectandpreserveriversandotherbodiesof
water.

COASTALRESOURCES

Cavite has about 85 kilometers of shoreline which could be found along Cavite City, Bacoor,
Kawit, Noveleta, Rosario,Tanza, Naic, Maragondon, and Ternate. Cavites coastal areasare known for
oyster and mussel farming, sugpo/bangus production, and beach resort areas. Thus, basically, coastal
resourceoftheprovincecontributestotheeconomicactivitiesrelatedtofisheryandtourism.
Severalissuesbesettheprovincescoastalenvironment.Therearereportedillegalfishingactivitiessuch
asentryofcommercialfishingintomunicipalwaters,dynamitefishing,anduseofactivefishinggears
alongthesecoastalzones.Mangroveareas,whichprovidespawningandnurserygroundoffishesand
invertebrate, are affected by pollution, reclamation, and slash and burn techniques. Mangrove
degradationisveryeminentwhichnegativelyaffectsreproductionoffishes.

WaterpollutioninManilaBay,whichextendsoverthecoastalpartofCavite,isalsooneofthe
greatconcerns.Thepoorwaterqualityisattributedtountreatedeffluentsfromdifferentindustriesand
commercial establishments, and from garbage being dumped by the own,ers of shanties and other
illegalstructuresalongwaterwaysandriverbanks.

To counter the abovementioned negative conditions, the province advocates and has initially
taken steps to actively implement the Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) in coordination with the
PartnershipswithEnvironmentalManagementfortheSeasofEastAsia(PEMSEA),astrategybywhich
all stakeholders who benefited from coastal resources of Cavite cooperate to accomplish proper
managementandutilizationoftheseresources.

SOLIDWASTEMANAGEMENT

There are only two cities, Dasmarias and Tagaytay that have a centralized material recovery
facility, considering that the establishment of the said facility is cost intensive. Despite the financial
challenge, the environmental offices are exerting efforts to implement the program even at the
barangaylevel.ItcanbenoticedthatfourteenmunicipalitieswereabletoimplementtheMRFsystemin
their respective barangays. Having smaller coverage, barangay MRFs are more manageable than a
centralizedone.

Residual wastes or those that can no longer be recycled are being disposed by means of
dumpsites. There are five open dumpsites that can be found in Rosario, Gen. M. Alvarez, Gen.
Aguinaldo,Indangand Maragondon.Theseopendumpsitesareconsideredunsanitaryconsideringthe
hazardsthatitposesintermsofhealthandsanitation.

Controlled dumpsites are those that are being monitored by the municipal government. The
area is secured but health hazards through leachate are not addressed. In 2007, there are twelve
controlleddumpsitesalloverCavitethatservesasthemaindisposalsitesofresidualwastes.

 Though not yet operational, an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) was issued to a
Sanitary Landfill with Material Recovery Facility in Ternate which is expected to accommodate and
managethesolidwastesproducedbytheProvince,bothdomesticandindustrial.

WasteDisposalSystems

Waste Disposal Systems Number of LGUs

With Centralized MRF 2
With Barangay Based MRF 14
Open Dumpsite 5
Controlled Dumpsite 12
Sanitary Landfill with ECC 1