Mount Apo caliber'. The cover of the book also featured Mount Apo's iconic Philippine eagle, along with three other heritage sites which have already been designated as "UNESCO World Heritage Sites". The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) submitted Mount Apo on December 12, 2009 for inclusion in the UNESCO world heritage list. The mountain is considered by DENR as the center of endemism in Mindanao. It has one of the highest land-based biological diversity in terms of flora and fauna per unit area. It has three distinct forest formations, from lowland tropical rainforest, to mid-mountain forests, and finally to high
Mount Apo is said to be named after a nobleman named Apong, who was killed while mediating the battle between two suitors of his daughter Saribu. Apo is various local languages mean "grandfather", "master", "grandson", and "wise elder". On May 9, 1936, Mount Apo was declared a national park with "Proclamation No. 59" by President Manuel L. Quezon, followed by "Proclamation No. 35" of May 8, 1966, then "Proclamation No. 882" of September 24, 1996. On February 3, 2004, the approval of "Republic Act No. 9237" established Mount Apo as a protected area under the category of "natural park" with an area