Only trees in natural and residual forests nationwide are covered by President Benigno Aquino III’s
Executive Order No. 23 dated February 1, 2011 declaring a moratorium on the cutting and harvesting of timber in national and residual forests and creating the Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force. Trees in said forests cannot be cut down except by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to construct roads, site preparations for tree plantations, silvicultural treatment and similar activities, including tree-cuttings associated with cultural practices in line with Republic Act 8371
otherwise known as the Indigenous Peoples Right Act (IPRA) of 1997.
These were the main points of last Thursday’s breakfast conference of the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA) and top officials of Southern Mindanao’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Executive Order No. 23 defines natural and residual forests as forestall areas where trees are indigenous and were not planted by man of which an estimated 1,900 hectares are lost every year.
Director Nestor V. Patnugot of the DENR-11’s Forest Management Bureau said that “ trees in plantations or in areas planted by an individual or groups and registered with the DENR can be harvested and utilized.”
Patnugot said that “wood processing plants are still allowed to operate provided they can present proof of sustainable supplies of legally-cut logs for a period of at least five years.”
“In fact, 15 wood processing plants in the region out of 115 have established proofs of their five-year supply and have been given permits to resume operations,” said Patnugot, debunking screaming headlines by the Manila press that “the executive order will displace thousands of workers in the wood
and furniture industry.”
PBGEA executive director Stephen A. Antig sought clarification on the matter as the Philippine export banana industry is a heavy user of wood pallets, poles, cartons and other wood-based materials.
DENR-region 11 executive director Jimmy O. Sampulna advised operators of the industry’s wood processing plants to consolidate so that they can easily generate their five-year supply of woods.
“You can plant trees along riverbanks and along your buffer zones,” said Sampulna as he lauded the Philippine export banana industry for its continuing tree-planting and mangrove-rehabilitation efforts.
Tree-growing projects are the centerpiece efforts of PBGEA’s community development programs in addition to the tree-planting efforts of its individual member-companies in eleven provinces of Mindanao.
Financial allocation for said projects averages more than a million pesos per year on top of the hundreds of man-hours expended. [Edylen P. Sevilla]
