Yes, Mr. President, government has not done anything to stop illegal logging, mining

IN a situation briefing on the large-scale flooding that hit Cagayan Valley and Isabela, President Duterte fumed: the government has not done anything to stop illegal logging and mining. He then ordered Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu to investigate and stop the nefarious characters behind these criminal activities.

We agree with the President with his observation. We also hope General Cimatu, with his military background and discipline, can make a difference in the decades-long campaign of civil society organizations (CSOS), Church and concerned citizens to stop the mindless harvesting of our forests and extraction of our mineral resources not only by the small players but also, and more importantly, by the big corporations.

As a starter, Secretary Cimatu should inquire among his Department of Environment and Natural Resources Undersecretaries and Regional Directors: what has happened to the “National Greening Program.” Under the Administration of President Benigno Aquino, the NGP was considered a “flagship” project. The DENR was allocated billions of pesos to implement the NGP in partnership with environmental groups across the country. The NGP target was ambitious: 1.5 billion trees to be planted on 1.5 million hectares in six years. Under the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 of the Duterte Administration, the NGP has been extended and “enhanced,” with an equally ambitious target area, 7.1 million hectares of deforested land to be “rehabilitated.”

What then is the scorecard on NGP? The targets of the original NGP program include the following: 12 percent increase in forest cover based on 2003 level, or 7.2 million hectares of reforestation, with 85 percent survival rate. Naturally, had the original NGP and the enhanced NGP programs been fully implemented, our forest lands would have larger holding capacity. There would be reduced downstream flooding and soil erosion that the country has witnessed with the arrival of Typhoon Ulysses.

Another area that Secretary Cimatu should investigate is the status of the different “Special Land Use Permits” that the DENR has been giving to projects of corporations and individuals that entail occupation and use of forest lands. Most of the wealthy applicants justify their projects by linking them to the government’s environmental programs, for example, establishing a mountain trekking project for the benefit of students and indigenous people who serve as guides. However, some of those given permits are reported to be using the privilege to occupy forest lands for highly questionable activities such as raising fighting cocks, establishing shooting ranges for gun lovers and so on.

The worst offenders are those who build permanent palatial homes in forest lands. There is even a report that one of the towns severely flooded in the boundary of Quezon and Camarines Norte was due to the road built by an influential family leading to their home right on top of the watershed area. Secretary Cimatu will do the nation a great service if he can publish who are the corporations and individuals given these special permits, what are the projects they have, the areas covered and what exactly is the status on the uses and possible mis-uses of forest lands by the lucky permit holders.

Another reality that Secretary Cimatu should reflect on: how to deal with the poor population living in forest lands. The truth is that almost all forest lands are populated. There are the indigenous peoples who have been fighting for the right to stay on what they consider as their ancestral lands. They have been the victims of land developers, dam builders, mining companies and other economic actors who have been driving them further and further from the lowlands.

There has also been a steady flow of migrant families, poor families who have difficulty surviving in the lowlands due to limited jobs available to the family breadwinners. Usually, these lowlanders build homes and farms without any legal titles or permits, only “posisyon’s” or occupation of small lots. Many of the migrant families are actually second and third generation families.

In recent years, the DENR, with the help of academic institutions such as the Visayas State University and CSOS like Haribon, have developed a win-win approach in dealing with the population living in the forest lands—“Transform the forest dwellers into forest keepers.” Give them financial assistance in keeping the forest. This is like the conditional cash transfer—except that cash for keeping the forest is real work.

This approach has been validated to be a good model in preserving, nurturing and yes, “growing” the forest. The problem happens when the DENR stops giving financial assistance, which means some of the forest keepers have no choice but to look for alternative sources of income.

This is why one of the tasks facing Secretary Cimatu is how to direct his Undersecretaries and Regional Directors to do wide consultations with all those living in the forests and come up with programs that are supportive of community development and sustainable forest management. The key is partnership building with the IPS, CSOS, Church and LGUS.

After all, rebuilding the nation’s forests is a task that should involve all citizens of this flood-prone country.