DENR forms team to probe illegal logging operation in Gingoog City

DENR Forms Team To Probe Illegal Logging Operation in Gingoog City
January 21, 2010 12:55 pm 

GINGOOG CITY, Jan. 21 – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has formed a probe team to investigate the alleged technical illegal logging operation in the 11,475.8-hectare concession area of a wood firm in this city and Claveria, Misamis Oriental.

DENR Secretary Eleazar Quinto also organized a probe team on Monday to review the Integrated Forest Management Agreement (IFMA) of Southwood Timber Corp. (STC).

The probe team composed of forestry and environmental science experts outside of DENR to ensure impartiality and transparency in the resolution of the STC case, it was gathered.

The DENR’s move is in response to calls from residents and local officials of Gingoog City and Barangay Minalwang in the town of Claveria in Misamis Oriental to investigate and dig deeper for alleged STC violations of its lease contract, such as harvesting of old-growth trees from identified protection forest inside the firm’s concession area in this city and Minalwang.

The complainants also urged the DENR to cancel the STC permit for their alleged violation.

Top management of the STC cannot be contacted for comment regarding their alleged violation.

Meanwhile, in a statement released by the DENR, under STC’s 25-year lease contract, the company shall adopt the selective logging system in the harvesting of the mature and over-mature naturally growing trees within IFMA’s production residual natural forests.

The company has also committed to establish tree plantations in open and denuded areas which they can harvest upon maturity.

Development activities in an IFMA are allowed in areas that are open with degraded residual forests, as programmed in the Integrated Operations Plan duly approved by the DENR. Trees that may be incidentally cut in the course of these developmental activities, such as road widening and rehabilitation and tree plantation development, may be allowed provided that the corresponding forest charges are paid to the government. Local government units, from provincial unit down to barangay level, get a share from these forest charges.

As a condition to the approval of STC’s IFMA application, which was approved in May 2008, the firm secured a Certificate of Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) from affected indigenous cultural communities living inside STC’s concession area.

The FPIC was issued to STC in November, 2007 by the Minalwang Higaonon Tribal Council (MIHITCO). The firm was likewise issued a Certificate of Precondition for its IFMA application by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) under NCIP en banc Resolution No. 221, dated April 3, 2008.

The Minalwang Higaonon Tribal Council was granted a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) over 8,000 hectares of area on November 19, 2009, which is allegedly inside STC’s IFMA area.

However, the Higaonon people in the area are now opposing STC’s operation.

Environmentalists and church-based groups in the province have already thrown their support to MIHITCO’s stance against STC. (PNA)

LAP/MUC/mec