Last Tuesday, the Environment Chief Roy A. Cimatu issued an order to all PENROs and CENROs to officially begin its total crackdown on illegal logging and pocket mine operations in Mindanao.
The order also directs its officials to arrest all violators of the mining and forestry laws, including rules and regulations, and instantly charge them in court.
They are also required to provide a list of alleged illegal logging operations along with small-scale miners undertaking destructive operations in many idle parts, of which are mostly off-limits, in Mindanao.
In February, a former member of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines released a pastoral letter dedicated to the department to immediately conduct an independent investigation on the floodings in various parts of Mindanao.
According to DENR’s (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) findings, the agency discovered there are allegedly 80 areas where illegal logging is taking place, while 42 areas have rampant illegal pocket mines. The Environment Department is still double checking this information.
“As of this date, field officials are finalizing moves to monitor the operations of the mining companies operating in their area of jurisdictions in Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Dinagat Islands, and Agusan del Norte,” Herzon F. Gallego, chief of the Regional Public Affairs Office of the DENR 13, told the Manila Bulletin last week.
The action plan, Gallego said, is against all forms of environmental crimes especially illegal logging and mining operations in an effort to prevent catastrophic incidents that might occur such as flood.
He added Cimatu also directed the PENROs and CENROs to conduct personal visits at the operations to ensure they are not polluting the coastlines and agricultural properties within the area.
“The Environment and Management Bureau (EMB) and Mines Geo-Sciences Bureau (MGB) have hired additional personnel to be posted in the PENRO and CENRO offices with active mining activities to augment the personnel in the operation,” Gallego said.
The appointed office has also hired lawyers for the CENRO offices for the processing and filing of environmental charges in court immediately as well as to properly issue penalties and imprisonment for the environmental crimes violators made, he added.
The agency is also calling for the help of stakeholders and concerned citizens so that these will be properly implemented, along with the support of all law enforcement agencies and local government units.
