PENRO stops cutting of naturally-grown trees in Bataan

   DINALUPIHAN, Bataan- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources provincial office in Bataan on Wednesday announced that it has stopped the cutting of naturally-grown forest trees, specifically akling parang species, in a tree plantation in Dinalupihan, Bataan.

   Fred Sadueste, provincial environment and natural resources officer, said he has stopped the Mt. View Upland Farmers Association running a Community-Based Forest Management tree plantation in the mountain area of Maligaya, Dinalupihan.

   The organization composed of 30 farmers from an Ivatan community in sityo Batanes in Maligaya have applied for a permit for tree-cutting of g’melina, mahogany, eucalyptus and akling parang known in the locality as alangangad.

   “Executive Order 23 of the Anti-Illegal Logging Law prohibits the cutting of naturally-grown trees within forest areas,” he said.

   The PENRO said the association is allowed to cut only mahogany, g’melina and eucalyptus which are planted species but not akling parang.

   He said that he has requested a team composed of research and technical men from DENR Region 3 in San Fernando, Pampanga to determine if the akling parang were planted or not.

   Sadueste said he has not known of any plantation on record in Central Luzon and even in Bataan that has planted akling parang.

   “The order will stay until such time that it is proven that they planted the akling parang that timber inventory showed that some trees were with diameter of 150 centimeters,” the PENRO said.

   He said that even if the group is proven to have planted the akling parang, there are terms and conditions to be followed like the submission of an Environmental Clearance Certificate and harvesting plan.

   Celestin Mesia, 77, claimed that he and his father planted the alangangad in 1960. “Panay kugon ang tumubo rito na kapag nasunog pati mga hayop namin nawawala kaya naisipan naming magtanim ng kahoy para may hinihintay kami,” the old man whose wife Filomena was the first chairperson of the farmer’s association.

   “Sana payagan na kami ng DENR na putulin ang mga ito para mapakinabangan namin dahil matatanda na kami,” Mesia said.

   Ofelia Rodriguez, present chairperson of the Ivatan farmers group said they are assisting government in the greening program. “Kalbo na gubat natin kaya dapat magtulungan,” she said.

   Cristeta Poncio Alina, vice-chairman of the association, said they planted in 1995, 20,000 seedlings of mahogany and 15,000 eucalyptus together with some fruit trees.

   She said that a businessman bought the matured trees and has already felled 14 akleng parang. 

   “Pinahinto dahil kailangang patunayan na itinanim ang kahoy na ito,” Alina said. 

   The CBFM tree plantation is in a 70-hectare forest below the almost bare Mount Manualan. It is seven kilometers hike from sityo Batanes, passing through a wide area of almost bald hills.