by Herzon F. Gallego

Butuan City (29 August) -- The DENR in Caraga Region advises the local executives in Agusan del Sur to familiarize themselves with the Philippines Reference System 92 "Adopt-a-Mohon" projects being undertaken by several teams of geodetic engineers from the DENR-Land Management Services.

OIC, Regional Executive Director for Caraga Region Edilberto S. Buiser said the local government officials particularly the local chief executives and the barangay chairpersons should be aware of the importance of the Philippine Reference System 92 "Adopt-a-Mohon" project being implemented in their area by the DENR.

PRS 92 is a homegenous national network of national geodetic control points (GCPs), marked by survey monuments or mohons, that have been established using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.

The GPS is an all-weather, high precision, global satellite positioning system that revolutionized navigation and surveying operation.

Director Buiser has expressed concern over reports reaching his office that unknown people thinking there was treasure buried in it destroyed some mohons after it was placed in selected sites. The mohons do not contain anything but just a cemented square structure.

He said people should protect these mohons because they are important and useful as reference points of determining the exact measurement of distance and locations of land boundaries. It reconciles the old Geodetic Control Points that was established under the Philippine Geodetic Control Points to the PRS 92. Each mohon structure with a size of one- square foot by one-meter high, costs about P10,000.

The PRS 92 was adopted in 1992 under Executive Order No. 45 of the Ramos Administration. This new national geodetic network is an upgraded version of the Philippine Geodetic Network (PGN).