Wednesday, October 15, 2008 Mati-Cenro strengthens anti-logging campaign
THE City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) of Mati City is embarking on a massive anti-illegal logging drive to protect the forests from destruction.
Mati-Cenro chief Eddie Cobacha said they have strengthened their drive after they discovered a shipload of illegal logs in Barangay Macambol last August. The ship reportedly carried P300,000 worth of illegal logs that were sourced from various barangays in Mati.
It was learned that about 113 lawaan logs were seized from B&E Cinco last August 10 after authorities discovered that the logs were without proper papers from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Mati-Cenro. Personnel from the DENR-Cenro were the ones who reportedly confiscated the logs on the night of August 11.
The following day, Mati-Cenro arrived along with police authorities and discovered only 20 lawaan logs. Cobacha said they could not determine where the other logs went. He suspects the other logs were still loaded into the ship and allowed voyage by the DENR-Cenro.
DENR-Cenro is a different agency from Mati-Cenro with the former under the DENR, while the latter under the City Government of Mati.
Cobacha said DENR-Cenro's former head Romeo Torres was immediately replaced by Victor Billones after the incident, upon the request of Mati Mayor Michelle Rabat.
Cobacha said illegal logging activities in Mati and the entire province had been going on for some time now, resulting to the decrease of forested areas in the city and province.
At present, only the barangays of Tagbinonga, Taguibo, Cabuaya and Macambol are the remaining forested areas in Mati. Mati has 26 barangays.
Cobacha said they have created alternative livelihood programs for loggers and miners in the city. One of them, he said, is the mariculture wherein loggers and miners are encouraged to fish instead of log or mine.
The anti-illegal logging campaign of Mati is in line with the Management of Natural Resources (MNR) program of the city to protect the environment from man-made degradation. (BOT)
