Group underscores 'illegal road clearing' woe on Environment Day

THE Group of Environmental Socialists (Goes) has facilitated a meeting with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and holders of Integrated Social Forestry/Certificate of Stewardship Contract (ISF/CSC) in Sitio Campuestuhan, Barangay Cabatangan, Talisay City over the weekend.

The environment group said the activity was in line with the celebration of the World Environment Day themed "Ecosystem Restoration."

Among the issues discussed were the cancellation of CSC of the landholders and approval of the application of a businessman for Special Use Agreement in Protected Areas (Sapa) by the Protected Area Management Board (Pamb) which allegedly resulted in illegal road clearing.

Goes, in a statement, said the Board approved the application without due respect and consideration to the landholders and their areas that are under the ISF Program.

"These are tenured migrants who have complained against the DENR because it has abused their authority by canceling the CSC without legal basis," it said.

The group added that "the community expressed that they have been misinformed and misled which resulted to the cancelation of their tenurial instrument while allowing rich and powerful individuals to own parcels of land inside the Northern Negros Natural Park (NNNP) through Sapa."

Goes also claimed that the recipients blamed the barangay captain for allegedly facilitating the selling of land to big-time businesses and for manipulating some community members.

"The barangay captain has been very abusive and lacked respect for the protected area. There was no consultation or any participatory discussion regarding his acts within the multi-use zone (MUZ)," it said.

Citing the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (Enipas) Act or Republic Act 11038, the environment group said there are two ways, according to the DENR, on how the agency will allow tenured migrants and lowlanders to stay inside NNNP.

These are through the approval of the Protected Area Community-Based Resource Management Agreement and Sapa.

Goes is calling out Pamb Resolution 164 Series of 2020 as "highly politicized" by approving the application of a businessman for integrated farming while the "tumandok" were left out.

They are the true farmers and champions of the NNNP who have significantly contributed to the reforestation, restoration and protection of the area, the group said.

It was mentioned during the meeting that the road clearing has no necessary permits and should never be allowed at all. Also, the area approved by the Pamb is owned by the CSC holders, it added.

"Everybody is in a consensus that abusers and violators should be penalized and that the local government of Talisay should exercise their political will and authority to protect its own poor constituents and the forest ecosystem within its jurisdiction," Goes said.

They believed that the Pamb should be guided in their decision-making because they don't know what is happening in the area.

Likewise, it said, Sapa should be abolished to give way to the implementation of community-based and community management livelihood programs to focus on the cultural and economic aspects of upland villages.

"These community-based and community management programs must be led and managed by the community to strategically empower and directly channel the economic benefits to the upland communities," the group stressed.