Cenro: Uprooting of trees in ISCOF Dumangas lawful
Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro)-Barotac Nuevo chief Bing Garnace said their's nothing illegal in the uprooting of the more than 400 mahogany trees inside Iloilo State College of Fisheries (ISCOF) – Dumangas.
In a phone interview yesterday, Garnace told The News Today (TNT) they have knowledge of the controversial uprooting of more than 400 mahogany trees inside ISCOF - Dumangas last October 22, 2008.
He clarified that such act was left upon the discretion of the school administration and does not need a permit from their office since the trees involved are not considered deregulated trees.
Garnace said mahogany trees are considered deregulated trees under Presidential Decree 953 which requires the "planting of trees in certain places and penalizing unauthorized cutting, destruction, damaging and injuring of certain trees, plants and vegetation."
He said regulated trees like the narra and teak are the ones needing a permit from the DENR when cut.
"It's within the discretion of the school administrator on what to do with those mahogany trees that are growing inside the campus premises. They can cut or transfer the trees if they have valid reasons for it. There's no need for a permit coming from us," Garnace said in a phone interview.
Garnace said that upon receipt of the letter from Mr. Nelson Blanco, chairman of the 4th Congressional District Sports Association (CDSA), his men conducted inspection on the area and found out that what the CDSA was asking could be legally granted.
CDSA in a resolution requested the school administrator of ISCOF-Dumangas to allow the uprooting or transfer of the mahogany trees within the oval parameter to give way to the holding of various sports events for the District Meet which started yesterday up to Nov. 13.
TNT, however, learned that the mahogany trees was simply uprooted without transferring it to other locations.
An informant even disclosed that the uprooted mahogany trees were later found in a bakery shop in Dumangas.
Meanwhile, mahogany trees uprooted inside ISCOF - Dumangas will be re-planted with new seedlings in a planned tree-planting activity. And if the number – some 400 Mahogany trees – has been assailed by environment advocates, Mayor Ronaldo Golez reportedly will not only double, but triple the re-planting.
While at it, an ally of the mayor in the municipal council assured that no ecology imbalance happened nor will happen because of the uprooting. In fact, there are reportedly more than enough trees here pointing to a mini-forest in Dumangas High School and countless Mahogany trees by the covered gym.
Such was the reaction generated from Councilor Bert Celeste in support of the uprooting of trees vis a vis the ultimate go-signal from the mayor
Celeste in a phone interview told TNT that the issue was also tackled by the municipal council's Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.
The complainant was given the chance to present the objection, Celeste shared, alongside the purported clarification by invited Environment officials.
"Mahogany tree is a deregulated tree so there is no need for permit… the mayor followed the process and it was the board of directors who recommended the uprooting... the mayor as honorary chairman was heeding the committee's position," Celeste continued.
Further still, Celeste pointed out that the actual planting done by the Class 1952 back in 2003 was actually minus the approval of the college president.
"It was only the administrative officer who gave the go-signal," Celeste ended.
Earlier, Groups advocating environmental protection have bonded together to condemn the ruthless uprooting of more than 400 mahogany trees inside the Iloilo State College of Fisheries (ISCOF) - Dumangas Campus which they dubbed as "mahogany trees massacre".
The group composed of representatives from the academe, civil society, youth, barangay and religious sector held a press conference in Dumangas Friday last week to condemn the uprooting of the five-year old mahogany trees and call on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to penalize those responsible for such act.