By EDU H. LOPEZ
The government has withdrawn a total of 276 forestry contracts from erring timber firms and upland-based organizations following discovery of violations ranging from poor reforestation performance, abandonment, and failure to implement preparedness measures for forest fires.
Environment Secretary Michael T. Defensor has instructed his regional executive directors to immediately cancel some 276 contracts, which lasts 25 years and which allows holders to plant and harvest timber trees and other minor forest products like rattan and yantok.
"We are canceling tenurial agreements with corporations and individuals because some of them are not complying with DENR regulations. We hope that by next year we can cancel the contracts of all violators and all those who abuse the regulations of the Department so that we can efficiently protect our forests," Defensor said.
The order came after Defensor called for an in-depth evaluation of all existing forest tenurial instruments in December last year to weed out delinquent holders of Industrial Forest Management Agreements (IFMAs), Industrial Tree Plantation Lease Agreements (ITPLAs), and Community-Based Forest Management Agreements (CBFMAs).
CBFMAs are issued to organized upland communities giving them the privilege to sustainably tap forest resources for the recipient-community’s livelihood activities in exchange for implementing forest conservation programs inside their concession areas.
