DENR to sue Napocor for cutting mangrove trees in Palawan

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is currently preparing to file charges against state-run National Power Corporation (Napocor) for the indiscriminate cutting of mangrove trees along a stretch of land in Puerto Princesa City in Palawan. This was disclosed Wednesday by Environment Secretary Lito Atienza, who said local DENR officials in Puerto Princesa are now gathering documents to strengthen their case against Napocor. “Mangrove trees should be continuously grown particularly now that we face the ill-effects of global warming. The recent tragedy in Myanmar where tens of thousands of people were killed by a super typhoon gives us more reason to take care of this resource. If we have enough mangrove trees that will protect us from the fury of super typhoons, we will avoid a similar fate. That is why it is important that big establishments, including Napocor, be made to understand the consequence if mangrove trees are cut indiscriminately,” Atienza said. According to reports received by Atienza’s office, a total of 196 bakawan trees with a diameter of 10 to 38 cm. were cut down by Napocor within its transmission right-of-way in Lucbuan village in Puerto Princesa. The cutting down of said trees is a violation of Napocor’s special land use permit, Atienza said. Napocor has a special land use permit for a right-of-way (transmission line steel tower) with a tree-cutting permit No. 01-2008 signed by Atienza. It is set to expire on June 2011. The permit area is located within the forestland of Irawan to Langogan villages in Puerto Princesa City to Tinitian village in Roxas. It covers a stretch of 62.69 kilometers. The permit, however, does not allow the cutting of mangrove trees underneath the transmission line right-of-way but only of periodic mangrove tree pruning. “While we recognize the need for power generation to boost development, we are more than disheartened and cannot tolerate the violation made by Napocor in the permit granted to them by the department,” Atienza said. It was the community environment and natural resources office (CENRO) composite team, under the Kilos Agad Center in Sta Monica village, that spotted the clear cutting of bakawan with an approximate area of 1.20 hectares within the affected transmission line right of way. The 196 cut bakawan trees were further cut into smaller sizes resulting to a total of 1,102 pieces of assorted dimensions to facilitate its hauling to the designated Napocor temporary depository area at Lucbuan village. The CENRO composite team apprehended the 1,102 pieces of bakawan timber including a unit of power chainsaw registered under the PCSD with serial number 124790573 used in cutting the trees. The CENRO has instantly stopped/suspended the cutting operation of Napocor in the Lucbuan mangrove area section. It also required the forest officer assigned to explain in writing his failure to supervise the illegal cutting operation. - GMANews.TV