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Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Tree farmers barricade bridge in Agusan Sur
By Ben Serrano
BAYUGAN, Agusan del Sur -- Around 1,000 tree farmers staged a protest rally against the inclusion of planted trees in the total log ban by forming a barricade Tuesday morning at the Andanan Bridge in Barangay Noli this town.
The human barricade caused motorists to and from Davao and Butuan cities and nearby provinces to be stranded for nearly an hour.
But cooler heads prevailed, which lead to the dismantling of the barricades as well as a "human chain" formed by tree farmers in the area following a series of negotiations with authorities and tree farmers mostly lumads.
The protesters however vowed to resume their barricade again if after two days, wood processing plants in Butuan City and nearby provinces will still continue to stop buying their harvested planted tree species.
Because of the total log ban, all the activities related to the thriving wood industry in the region--including the transportation of finished wood products--were prohibited by the authorities.
This came following Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Michael Defensor's memorandum confirming the total log ban last week.
A negotiating team headed by the DENR, military, police and local officials peacefully dispersed the barricade installed right at the bridge, which opened once again to motorists.
Tribal leader Erwin Tion together with tribal leader Datu Pangabaga, one of the leader of the protesters told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro they were dramatizing the sentiments of about 31,000 tree farmers in the region.
Suspension
They said some of them are already "hungry" with their children already out of school after the declaration of the total log ban policy of President Arroyo.
President Arroyo declared a "total log ban" in the whole country in the wake of the devastating floods and landslide that hit some areas of Luzon like Quezon and Aurora provinces.
The devastation killed nearly 1,000 people and destroyed millions of pesos worth of properties, livestock and agricultural farms as a result of illegal logging.
The barricaders consisted of the lumad group Kahugpongan Sa Mga Tribung Lumad Sa Caraga (Katrilcar) headed by Datu Sumidlak, the Manobo Tribal Council of Datus, Caraga Federation of Tree Farmers and Multi-Sectoral Groups and tree plantation owners.
They included in their protest the lifting of the suspension of Department Administrative Orders (DAO) 2004-04 otherwise known as the deregulation of planted tree species issued by DENR Secretary Michael Defensor last November 5,2004.
Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer (Cenro) Jaime Acebu of Bayugan explained to protesters that the DENR local office is simply following orders through a memorandum issued by DENR Secretary Michael Defensor.
DENR Caraga Regional Director Benjamen Tumaliuan assured tree farmers earlier in a meeting at his office in Butuan City the other day that he will inform Secretary Defensor about the clamor of more than 31,000 tree farmers in the Caraga Region.
Bleak Christmas
The wood industry is one of the major sources of livelihood of the more than 100,000 people of Caraga Region.
Militant groups slammed the government's agrarian reform program for failing to provide alternative livelihood to the majority of the people especially the upland dwellers, which are mostly lumads.
Agusan del Sur Governor Adolph Edward Plaza who is now in Manila to follow up important projects had sent a representative to held talks or dialogue with the protesters.
Earlier, tree farmer leaders in the region, like Gregorio Mitchao and Florio Josafat of the Federation of Caraga Tree Farmers and Coordinating Council warned of massive protests from tree farmers should the government stand firm on their policy to regulate planted tree species.
The two claimed around 50,000 wood industry workers including tree farmers will be facing a bleak Christmas after being forced out of jobs as a result of the DENR order on the total log ban.
(December 15, 2004 issue)
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