World’s Rare Trees in RP’s Biggest Forest Massacre

Some of the world’s rare trees are found in Negros Occidental, a province in central Philippines with a dwindling forest cover. But forest poachers – whose masterminds reportedly include local politicians – have trained their sights on the province’s only forest reserve. The country’s biggest forest massacre in years took place days ago. 

By EDGAR CADAGAT and KARL OMBION
Bulatlat.com / Cobra-Ans

Bacolod City - All bad things do not necessarily come to end. This was illustrated by what Negrenses now say as the country's biggest timber massacre in recent memory.

Uncovered by Task Force Ilahas (TFI) several days ago in Don Salvador Benedicto, a mountain town in northern Negros, were 354,000 board feet of giant trees - many already sawn to sizes – ready to be sold. Two weeks later, after an aerial survey, the task force found 50,000 more board feet of cut timber bringing the total to more than 404,000 board feet worth P76 million.

Task Force Ilahas or Task Force Wild Fowl was organized by the Negros Occidental provincial government to monitor and run after illegal loggers and other environmental despoilers in Negros. The task force is headed by Sr. Insp. William Señoron.

Government officials, environmentalists and the public were reportedly shocked by the magnitude of forest destruction in the town, part of the 35,000-hectare wide Northern Negros Forest Reserve (NNFR). The reserve, which includes the forest canopy of Don Salvador Benedicto, serves as the watershed of several towns and cities in northern and central Negros.

There had been previous reports of large-scale timber poaching activities in the town. But anti-illegal logging campaigners could hardly come up with a haul as big as the recent one.

In a taped message two weeks ago, Fr. Frank Fernandez, who is believed to be the head of the revolutionary movement on Negros Island, accused the provincial government headed by Governor Joseph Marañon, for treating illegal loggers with kid gloves. Fernandez named a former mayor of Don Salvador Benedicto as the No. 1 timber poacher in the area.

Days later, Bantay-Bukid Brigade (Timber Watch) members exposed illegal logging in Bagong Silang, a far-off town village (population: 20,000). TFI members later held four men who were carrying axes and chainsaws.

On a town visit, Marañon instructed Señoron to conduct a closer monitoring of illegal logging in the area.

Rare tree species

Days of monitoring, capped by aerial surveys, bore fruit with Señoron and a group of policemen and environment personnel seizing some 405,000 board feet of cut timber. The haul consisted mainly of indigenous hardwood species including red lauaan, almaciga, almond, tanguile and others, not found anywhere in most parts of the world.

The composite group of TFI operatives and DENR men said that there could be more trees felled in a 60-hectare area where, from the air, they saw patches of denuded forest.

Most of the indigenous native species spared by a turn-of-the century logging firm established by an American businessman named Nicholas, were said to be almost 80-years old. It would take from 30-50 years for the same species of trees to be grown, foresters said.

Marañon and Raoul Geollegue, regional director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, vowed to throw the books at the masterminds of the largest timber poaching in the province's history.

Meanwhile, the Negros Occidental provincial board passed a resolution asking DENR Secretary Heherson Alvarez to punish erring personnel of the agency.

Negros environmentalists had earlier revealed that of the 7% forest cover left in the province, 4% were primary growth and 3% second or third-growth forests.

In the province, the political career of many local executives could rise and fall on environment issues. Thus, attention continues to be riveted on the action of government officials on the timber poaching case in Don Salvador Benedicto and other northern towns. Bulatlat.com/Cobra-Ans

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