Monday, November 13, 2006
15 Butuan wood mills have no permits: agency
By Ben Serrano
Caraga Correspondent
BUTUAN CITY -- Many mini-wood sawmills situated along riverbanks of Agusan River in Barangay San Vicente, Butuan City have expired or non-existent wood processing and pollution permits, a local environment office said.
As a result, there was no monitoring of proper waste disposal as tons of saw dust already caused heavy siltation and pollution to the river that is once used as navigation, a source of fresh water supply and waterways for irrigation.
Butuan City Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer Achilles Ebron told newsmen in a press briefing that 15 mini band saw wood mills out of the 36 registered ones so far have expired wood processing and pollution permits.
The Air and Water pollution permits are issued by the Environment Management Bureau (EMB) office while the Wood Processing Permits (WPP) are issued by the Community Environment Natural Resources (Cenro) and the Provincial Environment Natural Resources Office (Penro).
Ebron said despite many warnings he issued the mini wood sawmills continued to operate.
Ebron said they already filed appropriate cases before local courts against some erring wood mini sawmills and some cases filed are still pending for resolution in local courts for years
Last Friday, members and officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Press Corps together with personnel of the Cenro conducted visitation on some sawmills at Agusan riverbank in Barangay San Vicente.
The purpose was to verify reports of alleged illegal logging activities in the area where saw mills are allegedly operating and buying illegally transported and cut lawaan wood species from nearby provinces of Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur.
The group of newsmen together with the DENR personnel of Cenro Butuan personally discovered and saw illegally cut lawaan logs worth of thousands of pesos at four wood mini sawmills in Sitio Bingkilan, Barangay San Vicente.
But despite the presence of the DENR personnel, the hot logs were not confiscated. However, a team leader present told the owners of the "hot logs" not to touch or transport these as they will come back and confiscate them.
When the DENR personnel returned to the area late afternoon Friday, Cenro Ebron told newsmen the hot logs were no longer in the area and were hidden.
When asked why the DENR personnel did not confiscate the hot logs or even issued confiscation notice at the time when they were with the group of newsmen earlier that morning and before noon, Ebron and his men failed to elaborate.
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