Deforestation

Deforestation affects us all. Deforestation is a major cause of flooding, landslide and climate change according to Greenpeace International.

Deforestation

           Illegal logging, slash and burn farming (kaingin), land clearance and charcoal mining (pag-uling) have damaged millions of hectares of Philippine forests. According to studies it takes more than 100 years to rehabilitate them. The destruction affected the country's rainforests and other biological ecosystem. People involved in these activities justified themselves and based their arguments on their economic status.

Uling  House

Open pit use for burning woods

Two years ago, I had a conversation with a local public official in Mindoro and I quoted what he said “Ang mga mamayan dito sa lugar natin ay nakadepende lamang sa pag-uuling at sa pagputol ng mga punongkahoy, maaring mawawalan sila ng kabuhayan oras na ipagbawal na ito.” After two years, charcoal mining (pag-uuling) is strictly prohibited in our municipality in Oriental Mindoro but people can still produce and trade “uling” if they acquire special permits released by DENR and local government. Pag-uuling is still rampant in our area.  I can present many evidences regarding this claim.  Ang pagpapatupad ng total ban sa pag-uuling ay hindi gaanong nagagawa dahil madali lang naman kumuha ng special permit lalo na kung malakas kanf koneksyon. Nakakabahala ang bagay na ito sapagkat laganap na naman ang mga pagbaha, tumitindi ang problema sa climate change at landslide na patuloy na naranasan dahil sa unti-unting pagkakalbo ng mga kabunduhan at pagkaubos ng likas na yaman.

Deforestation

Discoloration of Swamp (may be related to climate change)

Deforestation

I hope that the good governance of the President Noynoy Aquino will cover issues on deforestation and pay attention at least on climate change issues related to forest degradation as he address global agenda for climate change. - Shernan

ULING

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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