By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent
GINGOOG Mayor Erick Cañosa declared the temporary closure of the Gingoog side of Mt. Balatukan, a popular trekking site.
Gingoog city administrator Elvin Restituto said Cañosa ordered key officials of the city to review the protocols pertaining to visiting mountaineers in the city.
Restituto said that until the officials are finished in reviewing the protocols, the Gingoog side of Mt. Balatukan will be closed for trekkers.
The order comes at the heels of the incident where three mountaineers, including 12-year-old, got lost in Mt. Balatukan. Cañosa, Restituto said, does not want the incident to happen again.
Last Sunday, three of the 123 mountaineers who trekked Mt. Balatukan were reported missing. Authorities identified the three as Raine Kassiopela Fama, 12; Dave del Rosario, 18; and Christian Daryl Tapiru, 28, all of Nasipit, Agusan del Norte.
Restituto said the incident would not affect Mt. Balatukan as a favorite trekking site in the region.
“Isolated case lang ang nahitabo kanila, kay napapag lang sila sa dalan, asa sila mo-agi sa ilang pagpa-uli,” Restituto said.
