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Thursday, December 29, 2005
Environment agency blames slash-burn farmers for worsening flashfloods
IILLEGAL poachers and the slash and burn farmers (kaingineros) are to be blamed for the serious flooding that swept, at least, six villages in the east coast during the heavy downpour last Friday night.
Isabelo Mangayaay, officer-in-charge of the Office of the Regional Technical Director for Forestry, under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), yesterday reacted, stating that as far as their office is concerned, illegal logging has long been banned and that what caused the denudation of trees in the area is the clandestine activities of hard-core poachers who "continuously rape the remaining forests" in the city's east coast.
Mangayaay, however, assured that the 18,000-hectare Pasonanca watershed, where the water source of the city originates, is well protected and remains untouched by these unscrupulous timber cutters.
The whole forest cover that extends from West to East of the city has a huge expanse of 30,000 to 35,000 hectares, which, he admitted, is difficult to thoroughly secure due to lack of manpower, albeit the protection support from the barangays.
City Councilor Elias Enriquez, chair of the Council Committee on Environment, corroborated DENR in its statement, blaming instead illegal poachers and the kaingineros for the recent inundation of the east coast's low-lying barangays.
"The mountain is already bald there, because there is no reforestation project to talk about," Councilor Enriquez said.
He said the possible reforestation of said denuded areas will come when a Presidential proclamation will soon be issued by President Arroyo.
Enriquez said there is a need to have an exact technical description of the area surveyed for the city's reforestation program.
Enriquez revealed that since his term in office in the late 90's, he staged, a massive crackdown on illegal poachers, resulting in the confiscation of big volume of illegally cut flitches. But, he admitted they failed to nab any culprits.
Mangayaay for DENR's part said their team managed to score on six poachers caught red-handed cutting timber in the western portion. He said all of them are now facing charges before the court.
But, City Agriculturist Diosdado "Boy" Palacat believed otherwise. "What worsened the situation (flashfloods) is the illegal logging," Palacat said.
He said the water last Friday night rose to as high as the man's neck. But that it fast receded, because of the low tide. He also reported that some 300 hectares of fishponds situated in Tugbungan, Mampang, Talon-Talon, Cabaluay and Talabaan were washed away, resulting to huge losses in bangus (milk-fish) and locon (prawns).
City Social Welfare Service and Development (CSSD) Officer Francisco "Kit" Barredo said the total recorded number of displaced families reached 91, but that most, if not all, have already returned to their respective homes, as the situation in their area has normalized.
San Roque Barangay Captain Mauro Feliciano confirmed that, at least, four houses in his village were damaged when a tree was uprooted, as a result of the monsoon weather last Friday night, but that no one was hurt in the incident.
Last Monday, City Councilor Rey Candido, committee chair on agriculture, also blamed the serious denudation of the East's forests that usually worsens the occurrence of flashfloods in affected villages.
He said it is a public knowledge that illegal logging continues unabated in the area despite its so-called strict logging ban.
Palacat has yet to come up with an estimate of the total damages to some 40-hectare irrigated rice-land and other crops, aside from the swept fishponds.
He said his men were still in the area as of press time to assess the total destruction as a result of the recent massive flashfloods that hit the city.
(December 29, 2005 issue)
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