Alleged abuse on special use of protected areas checked

CEBU, Philippines -  The Cebu Uniting for Sustainable Water is currently collating all documents and other pieces of evidence that will be used by the group to verify reports of irregularities in the granting of Special use Agreement in Protected Areas (SAPA) within the Central Cebu Protected Landscape.

CUSW executive director Socorro Atega said that they have received reports that many were granted with SAPA by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources since non-government agencies, like the CUSW, have been cast out from the Protected Area Management Board.

“We used to set the criteria to evaluate SAPA applications because we have to evaluate thoroughly if they will be good partners of the government in protecting the landscape,” Atega said.

“Now, ang among nadunggan is daghan na kuno ang natagaan og SAPA. They are inviting more people na hinuon to come in inside the CCPL when it should be devoid with people,” she added.

Environmentalists are discouraging occupants within the CCPL to protect the area that serves as the drainage basin of the province.

Atega said that they also heard allegations that those who were granted with SAPA are selling the area as private lots.

“Nakadungog sad mi nga ipamaligya ang yuta. Mao lagi na ang amoang concern, kung mabaligya ba ang ilang rights? Nakadungog lagi mi nga tax declaration ra ang ibaligya since these lots within the CCPL cannot be titled,” Atega said.

She said that allegations are not verified yet because they are still in the process of collecting evidence so they could file a complaint to erring parties.

SAPA is a binding instrument between the DENR through the PAMB allowing groups, any of the indigenous peoples, tenured migrants, local government units, government agencies and other stakeholders such as corporations, cooperatives, business entities and NGOs to co-manage a protected area through special use agreements.

Yet, Atega said, most private developers granted with SAPA applied in the guise of being partners of government in protection and rehabilitation but with true intention of generating income.

This is true, she said, to some commercial establishments starting to emerge along the transcentral highway or within the 29,063-hectare CCPL.

“We are not opposing it but some already come to the point, like for eco-tourism kuno that is allowing number of visitors within its carrying capacity; also other establishments needing more water requirement, these have negative impacts to our protected areas,” Atega said.

DENR chairman of the regional public affairs office Eddie Llamedo said that they have not received any report of selling of parcels of lot within the CCPL because tenurial instruments such as SAPA cannot be sold.

He added that there is a regional administrative order allowing regional executive director Leonardo Sibbaluca to enter into a special use agreements with private sectors provided that all requirements are complied with.

Llamedo said that a SAPA is not granted if they have not complied with the requirements similar to the requirements when applying for an Environmental Compliance Certificate.

PAMB is also conducting a periodic monitoring of the areas under SAPA and the board has the power to revoke the agreement if there will be violations in any of the terms stipulated in the SAPA, violation of the natural resources laws and if the agreement was found to have been obtained through fraud, misrepresentation or omission of material facts. — Jessica Ann R. Pareja/MEEV   (FREEMAN NEWS)