Forest occupants to protect area from encroachers

CEBU, Philippines - Actual forest occupants within the 504-hectare reforestation project within the Central Cebu Protected Landscape (CCPL) in Barangays Cantipla and Tabunan, Cebu City of retired General Tiburcio Fusilero will be organized to police and undertake maintenance and protection of the area from squatters or encroachment.

Aside from these, the group during the dialog with Department of Environment and Natural Resources-7 director Maximo O. Dichoso yesterday, will also protect the area from forest fires, illegal resource extraction, expansion of farm lots and other destructive activities.

DENR information officer Eddie Llamedo said the dialog was conducted to solicit inputs and solutions on the conflict between a group of farmers and Fusilero.

The dialog was attended by 22 tenured migrants and new forest occupants within the awarded area of Fusilero under a memorandum of agreement on “Adopt-a-Mountain” program within CCPL.

The MOA was executed between then DENR Secretary Antonio H. Cerilles and Fusilero on the “Adopt-a-Mountain Program” in Barangays Cantipla and Tabunan on November 15, 2000 within the CCPL’s 28,312-hectare.

In a press statement, Dichoso said the development plan will be made in consultation with Fusilero and the actual forest occupants based on the inventory to be conducted by DENR-7 so that areas will be delineated for farming purposes or for tree planting.

Dichoso stressed the DENR-7 is willing to extend the appropriate assistance to only actual forest occupants in terms of determining areas for farming in consultation with Fusilero being the instrument holder without necessarily affecting their livelihood.

Fusilero’s group had reportedly planted around 60,000 seedlings this year but 30 hectares of the total covered area were destroyed or uprooted by some farmers.

Meanwhile, the farmers alleged there was no consultation conducted when Fusilero tried to develop the area and some of them were threatened and harassed.

It was also recommended during the dialog that a meeting be conducted between the Cebu City Assessors Office and the brokers or buyers of lot within the 504-hectare so that they will know the impact of buying or selling within a protected area.

Dichoso further said the Protected Area and Wildlife Conservation Zone Management Services is instructed to conduct a thorough assessment of actual tenured migrants based on the Protected Area Sustainability Assessment (PASA) records available.

PASA includes location, topography, land use, potential for tourism services, industries, natural features, hydrology, vegetative cover, flora and fauna, and cultural practices or uniqueness.

CCPL under Republic Act No. 9486 which was approved on June 7, 2007 covers a consolidated area of 28,312 hectares consisting of the Buhisan Watershed Forest Reserve, Mananga Watershed Forest Reserve, Sudlon National Park, Central Cebu National Park and the Kotkot-Lusaran Watershed Forest Reserve located in the cities of Cebu, Talisay, Toledo and Danao, and in the municipalities of Minglanilla, Consolacion, Liloan, Compostela, and Balamban. (FREEMAN)