A Case Study on Environmental Science and Engineering for

Tuguegarao City, Cagayan Province

Submitted by:
Keena Dyan I. Santos
CE/3
2018102740
ESE150-2/E01

Submitted to:
Engr. Bonifacio B. Magtibay, PhD

Date Submitted: 17 September 2021

 I. Background Information
Tuguegarao, formally the City of Tuguegarao, is the capital of the province of Cagayan in
the Philippines and a 3rd class component city. It has a population of 166,334 people, making it
the most populated city in Cagayan Valley and Northeastern Luzon, according to the 2020
census.
Tuguegarao City is the provincial capital of Cagayan and the Cagayan Valley's regional
center. It has been designated as the Region 02 Center of Excellence for Higher Education,
Science, and Medicine. It is the regional center of Cagayan Valley, as well as its regional
institutional and administrative hub. It is a major metropolitan center and primary growth center
in Northeastern Luzon. The city is a convergence region for the provinces of Cagayan, Kalinga,
Apayao, and northern Isabela, and is one of the Philippines' fastest growing cities.he city, known
as the "Gateway to Ilocandia and the Cordilleras," is located on the province's southern
boundary, where the Pinacanauan River empties into the Cagayan River. To the east, the Sierra
Madre Mountains, to the west, the Cordillera Mountains, and to the south, the Caraballo
Mountains.
Tuguegarao is known as the province's primary growth center, with an economy fueled
by a robust and active tertiary sector. It acts as a hub for economic and business operations
throughout the region, including border municipalities in the Ilocos Region and the Cordillera
Administrative Region. Tuguegarao City's role as the Regional Trading Center, the Regional
Support Service Center for Agricultural Development, Tourism, and Industrial Development,
and the Backbone to the Regional Industrial Center in Cauayan City, Isabela, and the Cagayan
Special Economic Zone in Sta Ana, Cagayan is supported by a diverse range of social and
economic infrastructure. The city is recognized as the only Digital City in Region 02, owing to
its location and rapidly increasing intellectual and knowledge economic base.
To stem the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the local administration has
enforced a 10-day enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). The most recent case bulletin, which
was provided on Tuesday, revealed 724 current infections, up from 500 a week before. The ECQ
will be in force from Aug. 12 to 21, Mayor Jefferson Soriano stated in a virtual news briefing on
Wednesday. The regional Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious
Diseases (IATF-EID) accepted the imposition, he said, on the proviso that the ECQ status be
prolonged for seven days if the Covid-19 situation warranted it.
II. Objectives
The goal of this research is to provide Tuguegarao City, Cagayan Province, with
environmental science and engineering knowledge. To achieve the following specific
objectives, the researcher will work toward the following specific goals:
• To describe the current state of the environment and governance in Tuguegarao City,
Cagayan Province
• To identify key activities that contribute to environmental problems that affect
ecosystems and human health
• To make recommendations for needed actions in addressing environmental health and
management gaps
 III. Description of Plants, Animals, and Ecosystems

Plants and Animals

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 2006 Red List lists 75
vulnerable plant and animal species in the Tuguegarao City, Cagayan Valley Region. They are
classified as Critically Endangered, Endangered, and Vulnerable (Table 3). Seventy-five percent
of threatened species are exclusively found in the Philippines. As a result, the territory has
become a worldwide significant conservation site.
The biodiversity of the Cagayan River has been the subject of few investigations.
Anecdotal and historical records from early naturalists and explorers, such as the presence of
freshwater crocodiles in the river, make up most of the information accessible. JICA conducted
the only recent study on the flora and fauna of the Cagayan River in 2001 as part of a feasibility
study for flood management in the lower Cagayan River. The survey identified 79 families with
298 species, 37 of which are endemic and 7 of which are deemed endangered due to human
activities and/or habitat loss.
With 88 species, trees continue to dominate the lower Cagayan River basin, followed by
shrubs with 24 and grass with ten (Table 5). This pattern shows the dominance of two
ecosystems in the area: the forest ecosystem and the lowland ecosystem, which is made up of
tiny trees, shrubs, and grasses. The area is home to a large number of indigenous species (Table
6), including endangered species like the Dungon, Tindalo, and Kalantas, as well as rare species
like the Bamban and Bayok.
There are a total of 75 families and 182 species identified in Cagayan Valley's terrestrial
fauna. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) lists
19 of the species, whereas the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora lists 29. (CITES). These figures show that the entire Cagayan Valley can still be
regarded a wildlife gem, which should be recognized not just by ecologists but also by
government officials.
 The DENR in Region 2 has identified a total of 54 wildlife species as rare, imperiled, or
endangered. Weerd and Ploeg conducted research on the waterbirds of Cagayan Valley in 2004.
They counted 53 different bird species. The Chinese Egret and the Philippine Duck are two
threatened species. More crucially, migrating birds account for 37% of the species documented,
numbering in the thousands. This demonstrates the value of the Cagayan River as an
internationally significant conservation site.
The Cagayan River is home to about 25 prominent freshwater fish and three bivalve’s
species, according to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). Five of the
freshwater fish species are endemic, seven are introduced, and thirteen are native.

Ecosystems

The Tuguegarao, Cagayan River basin's middle and lower reaches were chosen as
sampling regions. As sampling sites, three types of habitats were identified: floodplains,
grasslands, and forests. For each ecosystem, four sampling stations representing the eastern and
western sides of the Cagayan River were erected. In addition, a wetland sample site near the river
mouth was built.
In the lower Cagayan River watershed, tree species continue to dominate in terms of
number of species (88). They are followed by shrubs (24) and grass species (25). The forest
environment and the "parang ecosystem," which consists of small trees, shrubs, and grasses, are
the two types of ecosystems that prevail in the area with this distribution.
Samples gathered in the lower Cagayan River Basin were used to estimate the species.
Dungon (Heritierra sylvatica), Tindalo (Afzelia rhomboidea), and Kalantas (Toona calantas)
were classified as endangered species, and Bamban (Donaz cannaeformis) and Bayok
(Pterospermum diversifolium) were identified as uncommon species.
 IV. Status of environmental pollution (air, water, soil, noise)

Air
In Cagayan Valley, or Region 2, the area is known as "Tricycle City." And the growing
number of tricycles makes Tuguegarao City one of the most polluting places in the country in
terms of "air quality." According to the regional office of the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources (DENR), this is the case. According to DENR officials, the city was once
ranked third in the country in terms of air pollution among densely populated cities.
According to a city government assessment, at least 12,000 tricycles travel the city's
principal thoroughfares every day. Many of these tricycles emit black fumes from two-stroke
engines, which are blamed for the city's poor air quality. Tumaliuan argues that the growing
number of tricycles plying Tuguegarao is the primary cause of the pollution plaguing the
Cagayan Valley's northernmost metropolis, where national government facilities are housed.
The Philippine Information Agency (PIA) regional office's Benjie de Yro said it's past
time for the municipal administration to act and implement a regulation prohibiting the
traditional usage of two-stroke motorcycles.

Water
The Cagayan River has a lot of water. At the river's mouth, average discharge is 1,372
m3/s, or 43.2 billion m3/year. Water resources are sufficient in volume to fulfill home, industrial,
and irrigation needs, and current water usage is extremely limited. JICA is a Japanese
International Cooperation Agency (2002).
Despite copious rainfall, the Philippines today has the second lowest water supply per
capita in the ASEAN area due to poor infrastructure and management. Untreated sewage,
industrial wastes, livestock wastes, agro-chemicals, and sediments that wind up in water bodies
and aquatic ecosystems have a growing impact on the quality of water resources. The following
are the two main reasons why Cagayan Valley remains underdeveloped: (1) floods and
inundations at tributaries; (2) irrigation and domestic water supply inadequacies. There is a lack
of collaboration across institutions (River Basin Office, 2011). A 63-member River Basin
Council has been in place since 2015 to oversee the development and administration of the
Cagayan River Basin.

Soil
Human-caused environmental degradation is a concern in both rural and urban regions.
Metal contamination is the most serious of these environmental issues. These metals impair the
human body by causing mental and neurological damage as well as altering metabolic processes.
The concentration of heavy metals in roadside soil and vegetation in Tuguegarao City was
examined. Six sites were chosen along Bonifacio Road for the experiment. These locations span
the urban region of Rizal Street (sites 1-3) to the rural area of Cagayan River (sites 4-6). At 0,
1.5, and 10 meters from each site, soil and plant samples were taken. The Flame Atomic
Absorption Spectrophotometer was used to measure Lead, Cadmium, Copper, and Zinc.
Increasing the exception of Cu, the trace metal profiles decrease with distance from the urban
area. Cu > Zn> Pb> Cd concentrations in soils and plants are in decreasing order. The metal
levels revealed that there has been an accumulation of these metals in the soil, which has then
been transferred to plants growing beside the highway.

Noise
Several negative repercussions from the construction activities will be severe, including
turbid water flows, air and noise pollution, and traffic disruptions. Heavy construction machinery
and transportation vehicles will pollute the air and cause traffic disruption, which may harm
adjacent residents of building sites and transportation routes. The main impacts of building
include turbid water flows, air pollution, and noise pollution. Plant clearance and land
preparation would also be required, potentially resulting in habitat loss and population decreases
in aquatic species. Because the current state of the project site (West Alcala-Amulung) is quite
wet, meaning a marshy area, the project site (West Alcala-Amulung) will be turned to irrigated
paddy.
They include contamination of the air and noise caused by construction activities and the
transportation of various construction materials, and they will not last beyond the construction
phase.
References:
Most Rev. RAMON B. VILLENA, DD (2005) ; Cagayan Riverine Zone Development
Framework Plan; http://neda.rdc2.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Cagayan-Riverine-Zone-
Development-Framework-Plan-2005_2030.pdf
Villamor Visaya, Jr. (2021); 10-day ECQ imposed in Tuguegarao City amid rising Covid-19
cases; https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1150096
NEDA.gov.ph. National Economic and Development Authority Regional Office 02. 2018-01-19.
Retrieved 2020-06-14; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuguegarao
The Feasibility Study of the Flood Control Project for the Lower Cagayan River in the Republic
of the Philippines (N.D); https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/11871191_05.pdf
Manila Times (2021); Tricycles wreak worsening pollution;
https://www.manilatimes.net/2013/08/02/news/regions/tricycles-wreak-worsening-
pollution/25529/
Orlando F. Balderama (2018); WATER-RELATED HAZARDS AND DISASTER RISK IN
CAGAYAN RIVER BASIN, PHILIPPINES; http://www.recwet.t.u-
tokyo.ac.jp/content/files/Balderama_%20ICHARM_%2016Nov_2p.pdf
Chua, J.M. (2017); Heavy Metals Concentration of Roadside Soil and Plants in Tuguegarao City,
Cagayan Valley, Philippines;
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339676439_Heavy_Metals_Concentration_of_Roadsid
e_Soil_and_Plants_in_Tuguegarao_City_Cagayan_Valley_Philippines