Reports of illegal cutting of mangroves in South-East Asia 's largest man-made plantation bordering Banacon Island in Getafe last week spurred investigation initiated by the Provincial Board, in coordination with the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) Almost simultaneous to the burst of reports on illegal activities endangering the thick Banacon mangroves, a similar illegal activity reportedly started clearing the age-old mangroves along the swampy area of barangay Songculan, Dauis town. Authorities are now investigating the incidents. According to Vice-Governor Julius Caesar Herrera, the Provincial Board had already referred the reported mangrove harvesting in Banacon island to the PB Committee on Environmental Protection chaired by PB Member Alfonso Damalerio II.

This was upon the move of PB Member Ma. Fe. Camacho-Lejos, who is from Getafe. “Sad to say that there is a lot of illegal cutting that has been done,” Lejos lamented. Quoting the Cebu-based The Freeman Newspaper, the first to break the news, Lejos added that “if this problem could not be resolved, the mangroves will be gone by 2016 or seven years from now.” As this developed, PENRO Canda said that initially, DENR has caught an alleged perpetrator- -a certain “Sewic” Torreon , on the act of cutting the mangroves. He is now subjected to further investigation. That was all that Canda stated in his report Governor Erico Aumentado, dated August 24, 2009. Lejos, who chairs the peace and order committee, said there's a need to look into this to prevent further destruction of this rich resource before they “will be totally gone.”

Among the actions taken by the DENR, Canda said, included site visit in Banacon Island on August 20 and holding a meeting with the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) on August 19 at the municipal hall of Getafe. On August 21, PENRO and the Community environment and natural resources office (CENRO) based in Talibon formed a task force of PAMB and subsequently conducted site investigation and dialogue with the barangay officials of Banacon, Canda said. The People's Organization in Banacon “committed to rehabilitate the damage area and agreed to reorganize the PO ,” he said. PENRO and CENRO initially conducted a preliminary hearing and invited Torreon to air his side. But the results have yet to be released to the media. Canda said that the 380 families residing in Banacon islet, which has an area of 15 hectares (dry land), are dependent on mangroves “for firewood poles for repair and construction of dwellings and fish corals or “bunsod” and lately stakes as anchors for the monolines of seaweeds plantation.”

The islet was placed under the Community Tree Farm (CIF) program of the DENR before it became a component of the National Integrated Protected Area System (NIPAS). “In 1991, Republic Act 7161 was enacted banning cutting of mangroves species regardless whether natural growth or plantations. With the passage of the said law, many of the farmers sold their plantations to Chinese businessmen from Cebu and few residents of the island. Other farmers did not sell their planted bacauans but rather cut it and utilize for family use. Selective cutting as among the silvi-cultural treatment is traditionally practiced by the farmers,” said Canda. After that, and sometime in 2004, a PO was organized dubbed Banacon Fisherfolk and Mangrove Planters Association (BFMPA). The Community-based Forest Management Agreement (CBFMA) was awarded to the association “as tenurial instrument for their established mangrove plantations,” Canda said.

Meanwhile, barangay Songculan, Dauis town, was jolted when a report reaching the airlanes last week bared that big mangrove trees were cut by hand saw. Barangay kagawad Alan Mangmang reported it to the radio and immediately police officers and DENR officials, including Tagbilaran-based CENRO Eusalem Quiwag and company and media rushed to the scene. They saw some mangroves trunks already cut by still unidentified perpetrators. The incident is now under investigation as to the motive of the illegal cutting. (RVO)