DENR Hit Again for Alleged "ghost" Reforestation Project

NAGA CITY-Eleven residents of the villages of Lupi and Cawaynan in Tinambac,Camarines Sur said they were ready to speak against the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which they said lied when it reported in February this year that a 150-hectare reforestation project area in their village already had been fully planted with trees.

They said it was not true that the first phase of implementation of the reforestation project of DENR in their village already had been completed.

"In fact, there is no place for a 150-hectare reforestation project in Sitio (settlement) Libtong in Lupi because we already had an earlier reforestation project with CARE-Philippines and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)," they said in an sworn affidavit dated May 4, 2007 and released last week along with the findings and recommendations of a multi-sector project monitoring and evaluation team.

Seven of the residents who said they were ready to testify against DENR were members of Mount Isarog Guardians (MIGS), a group of volunteers who patrol the vicinity of Mount Isarog National Park to keep it away from intruders.

Edwin Sierra,29; Floridel Buenagua, 47; Pacita Azuela, 53;  Felix Robles, 46; Celso Patagan, 38; Alfredo Cea, 51; and Rolando Sabater, 58; all said they had been familiar with the forested area of Mount Isarog in their place so they knew about reforestation projects implemented there.

"From what we know, there are already 141 hectares in the area that had been reforested by CARE-Philippines and United nations Development Programme (UNDP) from 2001 to 2003, so it is impossible to have another 150-hectare reforestation project in the area, as what was reported by DENR."

They said they conducted their own investigation and found out that only five to six hectares of the area claimed by DENR as the site of their reforestation project were planted with trees.

They said after they had conducted an inspection of the area, up to 40 hectares were planted with trees. "But only on random or 'spot-spot' method. While some trees were planted right inside the area already allotted to the reforestation projects of CARE-Philippines and UNDP."

They also claimed that DENR, and Bicol Upland Resources and Development Foundation (BURDFI), contractor to the reforestation project, did not coordinate with them.

Jesus Natividad, barangay kagawad (village councilor) of Lupi, said the municipal government of Tinambac in February asked them (barangay officials) to conduct a geodetic survey of the site of the reforestation project implemented by DENR through BURDFI in their barangay. "In our survey, we found out that the reforestation project area totaled from 35 to 40 hectares."

He said from his inspection, six species of mixed hardwood and softwood trees were planted in the reforestation project area the area.

He added that contrary to DENR report, it was not true that 250, 000 seedlings were planted to 150 hectares of reforested area.

Priscilla G. Gamora, former treasurer of Lupi Biodiversity Conservation and Development Project Association Incorporated, said the supposed reforested area of DENR was the same site of the reforested area of Care-Philippines and UNDP.

"There is nothing left for DENR to reforest because the area was already reforested." But she said DENR indeed reforested 10 hectares in the area.

Natividad and Gamora, along with the seven others filed sworn affidavits to support the findings of a multi-sector project monitoring and evaluation team chaired by Fortunato Mendoza.

The team was organized to validate the status of the reforestation projects in Camarines Sur implemented by DENR, which is part of the watershed management and development under the Bicol River Basin Watershed Management Project.