DENR establishes PRS92 mojons in Masbate

Legazpi City (16 October) — Some 119 geodetic control points (GEPs) or mojons were established in Masbate province by he Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) under the Philippine Reference System of 1992 (PRS92) program.

All the mojons were set up in different areas of mainland Masbate since June this year by DENR Field Network Survey (FNSP) teams. The two teams will also undertake the same activity in the two other islands in Masbate this month.

PRS92 is a homogenous national network of GEPs, marked by mojons established using Global Position System (GPS) technology. GPS is an all-weather, high precision, global satellite positioning system that revolutionalized navigation and surveying operations.

Under Executive Order No. 321 issued by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the DENR is mandated to complete the adoption and integration of all surveys into the PRS92 until year 2010.

A major part of PRS92 is the establishment of permanent reference points nationwide to serve as control points of all survey activities of both the government and private surveyors for the benefit of landowners.

By virtue of EO 45, PRS92 became the standard reference system for all surveying and mapping activities in the Philippines. The order also mandated that all new surveys and maps shall be referred to the new network and all old surveys shall be integrated into it.

Among the strategies to support the objectives of PRS92 is information campaign and Adopt-A-Mojon program.

The program aims to enlist the participation of local government units, peoples’ organization, and the general public in the establishment and preservation of PRS92 geodetic control points.

In Bicol, DENR Regional Executive Director Joselin Marcus Fragada said a total of 60 LGUs have signed a memorandum of agreement with DENR adopting mojons established in their respective area.

The DENR, through the PRS92 Program Steering Committee, oversees the over-all implementation of EO 321. The National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), lands Management Bureau, and the DENR Regional Operation Committee are the primary office responsible in executing the order. (AS Araya, DENR/PIA)