save minalwang

25,000 Gingoog residents act to stop logging 
By Ellen Red

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Twenty–five thousand residents of Gingoog City have made their voices loud and clear that they are against all forms of logging.

The petition, signed by close to 25,000 Gingoog City residents, calling for the immediate cancellation of the logging permit issued to Southwoods Timber Corporation (STC) was filed earlier today before the Central Office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Quezon City.

The petition states that the logging permit or the Integrated Forest Management Agreement (IFMA) issued by the DENR to STC "will prove to be detrimental not only to the environment but also to our lives, livelihood, homes, families and the entire communities."

The logging permit issued to STC makes it possible for the logging company to conduct logging operations in 11,476 hectares of forest area in Mt. Minalwang — a crucial watershed area of Gingoog City.

The residents of Gingoog City had already experienced the devastating effects of deforestation in the upland area. In January last year alone, 8,000 Gingoog residents were displaced due to flash floods.

Killing of Higaonon anti–logging leader 
The filing of the petition calling for the immediate cancellation of the logging permit issued to STC came days after the brutal killing of Alberto "Berting" Pinagawa, a Higaonon anti–logging leader.

Prior to his death, Berting organized his community to cancel the logging permit awarded to STC.

Hinara Pinagawa, wife of Berting, said that ever since Berting became one of the petitioners of the IFMA cancellation campaign, he had received death threats.

Hinara said: "In the last two meetings for the anti–logging campaign, I had to be with him. He was not afraid to die because what he did was for the good of everyone."

Based on the data gathered by Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center Kasama sa Kalikasan⁄Friends of the Earth Philippines (LRC—KsK), 48 Higaonon tribal leaders and members have been killed since 1988 simply for being in the frontline of defense against human rights violations, development aggression and environmental protection.

During a press conference, Atty. Jeanne Ivy Abrina, Officer–in–Charge of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Northern Mindanao, said that her office will conduct an "inquiry" into the death of Berting.

The Officer–in–Charge of CHR Northern Mindanao said that since the 1980s, many indigenous people in Northern Mindanao have been gunned down because of their advocacy against logging. She added these killings merit a full–flown investigation.


First Posted on Inside Mindanao (www.insidemindanao.com) on January 12, 2010