Haiy…Natatanaw ko na naman ang makapal na usok na nanggagaling sa bukid sa likod ng aming kabahayan. Naamoy ko ulit ang nasusunog na punongkahoy at halaman sa kagubatan. Kelan ba matitigil ang pag-uuling at pgkakaingin sa lugar namin. Hihintayin pa ba ng mga tao na magaya sa ibang lugar na tinabunan ng lupa mula sa bundok bago ito bigyan ng pansin? Kalbong-kalbo na ang mga bundok, halos wala na ring malalaking puno at tila walang ginagawa ang mga kinauukulan upang ang mga ito ay mabigyang lunas.
Pag-uuling (Coal mining via burning of trees) and Slash and burn farming or kaingin continues on the mountains of Oriental Mindoro despite the arrests and cases filed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) against those involved in the highly destructive method.
I observed the lack of forest guards as one of the reasons why the effort to prevent slash and burn farming failed. There should be one forest guard for every 1,000 hectares according to the law.
They are now having some kind of a cat and mouse game. The moment our forest guards are away, the mang-uuling and kaingineros (slash and burn farmers) will strike. They cannot sustain their presence because forest guards are very few.
Pag-uuling and Slash and burn farming is highly destructive because it burns even young trees and destruct natural resources.
I hope that after the elections, the local government office would request the national government to hire forest guards to help in forest and ecological protection.
This is my simple advocacy for Environmental awareness and Greener Philippines.
~Shernan Fajutnao Gamol
Photos taken at Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro
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