DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Mountain climbers will have limited access to Mt. Apo during the Holy Week as a trail passing through the town of Sta. Cruz in Davao del Sur will be closed from April 3 to April 9.
The municipal tourism office said the closure intends to decongest the trail as a large number of climbers usually flock to Mt. Apo during Holy Week.
The temporary closure will also help prevent forest fires and similar incidents as it is difficult to check the actual number of climbers during the holiday.
Every year, mountaineers anticipate the Holy Week trek to Mt. Apo as part of their tradition.
But climbers have also been blamed for the piles of garbage dumped along the way to the peak.
Other paths going to the peak of the mountain will remain open such as the Bansalan, Kapatagan-Digos and Kidapawan City trails as well as the Davao City track.