DENR Calabarzon People’s Day: “Happy ang New Year”

DENR Calabarzon People’s Day: “Happy ang New Year”

 The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 4A has once again celebrated People’s Day on January 9, 2017.

Among the participants are representatives of PKMM (Pambansang Katipunan ng Makabayang Magbubukid), a people’s organization composed of local farmers and fishers from Barangay Dinahican, Infanta, Quezon, who aired their concern on the confiscation of wood allegedly illegally sourced from Palanan, Isabela. They said they were supposed to use the wood for repairing their wrecked boats.
“Paano ang aming hanapbuhay?” one of the members said, expressing his worry that they might not be able to continue fishing, hence, could no longer provide for their families.

Regional Director Reynulfo Juan said that he is all for supporting livelihood. Understanding their plight, he provided them with possible solutions to help their situation: “Pwede akong gumawa ng endorsement letter sa BFAR (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources), may binibigay silang libre[ng bangka], o kaya pwede namin kayo matulungan sa paghahanap ng makukuhanan ng kahoy”, he stated.

He asked them to specify the kinds of wood they need to repair their boats so that the Office could assist them in looking for legal sources. He also assured them that it will be verified whether or not the apprehension was conducted properly.

Another concern of the group was a problem regarding the rightful owner of the land they are residing in. Accordingly, there are two groups claiming the land: the Magallanes and the Maharlikans. The complaining party conveyed that they are confused as to whom they should pay their dues, as the Magallanes drives them away every time they cannot pay them.

“Magko-conduct tayo ng investigation. Kailangang malaman kung ano ang land classification, sino ang occupant, at sino ang claimant” Juan said. He also asked the residents to be present during the investigation.

On the other hand, some residents of Barangay Tunha, Famy, Laguna relayed their petition to cancel the survey plan of a certain Mr. Sotalbo, who was given survey authority despite him not having a land title. The residents are now facing the threat of possibly losing their homes to demolition. At present, the case has been brought to the court.

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Area development, subsidiarity and federalism

Area Development, Subsidiarity and Federalism

by Philip Camara on January 5, 2017

TIMES of crisis are windows for great opportunity. That is an old Chinese saying. But in these troubling times (for many), what opportunities indeed lie ahead? There are quite a few and the promising thing is they seem to be opportunities that would open up given current trajectories or the way things are unfolding. Indeed, 2017 may be the year that developmental change finally proceeds.

The world is shifting away from the international policies of recent decades that, while they have created well-being for unprecedented billions of people, have likewise resulted in great tensions. Not just tensions between peoples but tensions between people and their environment and even tensions inside people due to an identity overly linked to consumerism rather than their inherent truths; consumerism that threatens the very sustainability of Mother Earth.

One such opportunity is the re-emergence within government of the area development paradigm or development framework under Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Gina Lopez. While Sixto K. Roxas was its initial advocate in the late 1960s it had unfortunately been bastardized in several big government projects that went puff! (just as the autonomous regional experience is going puff!) due to wrongful implementation, which in turn was due to a misunderstanding of what area, development is basically about.

With Secretary Gina at the helm of a major government department that has a direct and meaningful role in national development, the area development paradigm is set to take off and this time under the leadership of a capable and knowledgeable environment and natural resources secretary. For one, Secretary Gina has been a practitioner of area development approaching the various undertakings of the ABS-CBN Foundation in Palawan and other provinces wherein the local people were the implementers and the beneficiaries of the eco-tourism projects that simply highlighted the potential of their area (thus the term area development).

Secretary Gina knows that with the Philippines’ archipelagic territory, the mountain ridge ecosystem connects by streams, creeks, rivers to the various other ecosystems until the final one (within our territory), the coral reef ecosystem, the totality of which was once teeming with life. “Life in all its fullness” was certainly what the Philippines was (before the times of colonization and industrialization. But alas, development was under the unitary and sectoral paradigm).

Area development deepens this understanding of the fragile but critical relationships between and among interconnected ecosystems and working with the local people applies the principle of subsidiarity which states that functions and decision-making should be undertaken at the lowest possible hierarchical level and the role of the higher organizational level is to support those lower units undertaking the functions.

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DENR Calabarzon and PIA 4A join hands for another Kapihan

DENR Calabarzon and PIA 4A join hands for another Kapihan

          The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 4A in cooperation with Philippine Information Agency (PIA) 4A held Kapihan sa PIA in Calamba City on November 22, 2016. The event invited the presence of local press and media partners from the different parts of the region.

          Ferdinand T. Hermano, Chief of DENR Region 4A’s Enforcement Division and one of the designated speakers for the Kapihan, discussed the focus of the programs that the Division is undertaking.

       “Ngayon po ay nakatutok kami sa Forest Protection and Law Enforcement Program. May stratehiya po kaming in-eemploy. Denying the source of illegal products; so dapat walang mapuputol, ‘pag nakalusot, we cut off the route; ‘pag nakalusot sa checkpoint, nasa market, then we deny the market” Hermano said.

       He also added that aside from their strategy, their division also conducts investigations. “Malalaman pag nasa destination, kailan yan dumaan? Paano nakarating yan sa lumber dealer? ‘Pag napatunayan na because of negligence eh gagawan ng paraan ng ating (regional) director yan.”

Read more: DENR Calabarzon and PIA 4A join hands for another Kapihan