Casecnan Protected Landscape

Lore & Background

The Casecnan Protected Landscape stretches over the municipalities of Dupax del Norte and Dupax del Sur in Nueva Vizcaya, Maddela in Quirino, and Dipaculao in Aurora. It was established to protect the watershed around the Casecnan River, which flows through the mountains of central Sierra Madre, the Caraballo and Mamparang ranges. The river is heavily used for irrigation and supplies hydroelectric power to the region, including an additional 140 megawatts to the Luzon grid through a tunnel and powerhouse built in 2001 from diversion weirs in the Casecnan and Taan rivers near Mount Guiwan to the Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija.

The Casecnan Dam is considered one of the most expensive hydroelectric plants in the country and was criticized for its adverse impact on the ecology of the protected area as well as the local community of Ilongot people (also known as Bugkalot) residing in the watershed area. On June 22, 2018, the feature was reclassified as a protected landscape through the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (ENIPAS) Act signed by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Reader's Guide

The Casecnan Protected Landscape is significant as one of the last remaining substantial water sources for Central Luzon, supporting irrigation for surrounding communities in Central Luzon and Cagayan Valley. Its hydroelectric infrastructure, including the Casecnan Dam, provides 140 megawatts of power to the Luzon grid, though the project has been criticized for ecological and social impacts on the Ilongot (Bugkalot) people. The area is a haven for wildlife, including endangered species such as the Philippine deer, Philippine eagle, cloud rat, hornbill, kingfisher, and Philippine warty pig. Its designation as a national park in 2018 under the ENIPAS Act reinforces its protected status. The landscape's role in water supply, energy generation, and biodiversity conservation makes it a key environmental asset in the Philippines.

Did You Know?

• The Casecnan Protected Landscape was originally a 57,930-hectare forest reserve established in August 1987 by Executive Order No. 136.
• It was enlarged to 88,846.80 hectares and reclassified as a protected landscape in April 2000 through Proclamation No. 289.
• The Casecnan Dam is considered one of the most expensive hydroelectric plants in the Philippines.
• The area is home to endangered wildlife including the Philippine eagle, Philippine deer, and Philippine warty pig.

A Layered Legal Legacy

The Casecnan Protected Landscape did not arrive at its current status in a single stroke. Its origins trace back to August 1987, when President Corazon Aquino signed Executive Order No. 136, carving out a 57,930-hectare forest reserve around the Casecnan River watershed. That initial designation covered parts of Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, and Aurora, specifically the municipalities of Dupax del Norte, Dupax del Sur, Maddela, and Dipaculao. More than a decade later, in April 2000, Proclamation No. 289 expanded the boundary to 88,846.80 hectares and elevated the area's legal standing from a forest reserve to a full protected landscape. The most recent chapter came on June 22, 2018, when President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act (Republic Act No. 11038), formally designating the site as a national park. Each successive act of legislation broadened both the geographic reach and the protective authority surrounding this stretch of eastern Luzon.

Powering a Region from the Mountains

The Casecnan River, a tributary feeding into the Rio Grande de Cagayan, threads through the central Sierra Madre and the Caraballo and Mamparang mountain ranges, making it a lifeline for agriculture and energy across Central Luzon and Cagayan Valley. Communities rely heavily on its waters for irrigation, but the river's role extends well beyond farming. In 2001, a tunnel and powerhouse were completed, channeling water from diversion weirs situated in the Casecnan and Taan rivers near Mount Guiwan in Nueva Vizcaya all the way to the Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija. This infrastructure adds 140 megawatts of capacity to the Luzon electrical grid. The Casecnan Dam itself is regarded as one of the most costly hydroelectric installations in the Philippines, a testament to the engineering ambition required to harness the mountain watershed's flow for the broader grid.

A Refuge for Rare Species

Spanning nearly 89,000 hectares across three provinces, the Casecnan Protected Landscape shelters a remarkable assemblage of Philippine wildlife, several of which face serious threats of extinction. Among the species documented within its boundaries are the Philippine deer, the Philippine eagle, the cloud rat, the hornbill, the kingfisher, and the Philippine warty pig. The coexistence of such iconic and vulnerable animals in a single protected corridor underscores the ecological richness of the central Sierra Madre forests. Beyond its fauna, the landscape is widely recognized as one of the last substantial natural water sources remaining for the Central Luzon region, a designation that amplifies the urgency of its conservation. The 2018 national park designation under the ENIPAS framework was intended to strengthen legal safeguards for both the biodiversity and the hydrological functions that make this watershed irreplaceable.

The Ilongot Community and the Cost of Progress

While the Casecnan Dam delivered much-needed electricity to the Luzon grid, its construction and operation have not been without significant social and environmental cost. The watershed is home to the Ilongot people, also known as the Bugkalot, an indigenous community whose traditional way of life is deeply intertwined with the forest and river systems of the area. Critics have pointed to the dam's adverse effects on the ecology of the protected landscape, arguing that the massive infrastructure project disrupted the very ecosystems the reserve was meant to preserve. The community of Ilongot residents has also borne the brunt of these changes, with the dam's impact on their livelihoods and cultural landscape drawing sustained criticism. The tension between national energy demands and the rights of indigenous peoples, along with the preservation of a fragile mountain watershed, remains a defining controversy in the area's modern history.