'Don't blame us,' DENR says, as calls made for major gov't reforms
For provinces within Panay Island to be spared by future devastation similar to what Typhoon Frank left, environmental laws must be fully implemented, political will of local chief executives must be exercised and judicial reforms must immediately be in place.
Such were the major "conclusions" now reached by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Regional Office 6 reflected in a consolidated report made on the typhoon's damage and effect.
Obtained by The News Today (TNT), the report came with the department's 'indirect plea' not to put the blame on DENR nor to illegal logging.
And no finger-pointing too, the DENR urged stressing that "rather than the usual "blame it on another" attitude what is now called for is a holistic strategy to address the concern of addressing future similar disasters. This will call for a comprehensive implementation of legislative enactment, executive action and judicial reforms."
"The phenomenal devastation brought by "Typhoon Frank" is something which is hard to explain, by logical reasoning or through scientific formulation. For one, the island of Panay was, historically, generally devoid of occurrence of disasters, especially from typhoons, and thereafter flooding, of such magnitude," the report stated. "Previous events of calamities during the past 100 years were more localized and of short duration but never in an island-wise sporadic but widespread devastation. To the less informed, the culprit is usually on the possibility of an "illegal logging" somewhere."
Yet physical evidence and ground validation suggest otherwise, the DENR explained saying "that while indeed there were timber drifted along with the floodwaters these were mostly in the form of uprooted trees along the river banks or small branches thrown out as a result of legal tree harvesting of planted trees on private lands. Or even if there were illegal cuttings made, the drifted timber were not in bulk quantities to be with significant impact to its surroundings. In fact, in many instances, in Maasin, landslides did occur even in thickly forested patches of land."
The DENR took the chance to clear "blame issues" as well adding that while the department is tasked for environmental protection, procedures in place called for involvement of other government agencies and the community.
"Before a tree is cut and transported, clearances from the barangay and municipal local government units are sought; the legal easements along the bodies of water must be devoid of structures; the forest lands should be free from human habitation; everybody must observe the proper way of solid wastes disposal, environmental laws must be strictly enforced, etc.," the report continued.
DENR physical inventory of uprooted trees in Iloilo alone reached 1,821 with over 16 species monitored.
The uprooted trees included Narra, Mahogany, Bagtikan, Lauan, Agoho, Dapdap, Toog and Talisay among others.
At least another thousand is feared to have been uprooted as well in the Province of Antique with a concentration of debris in the shoreline of Barangay Delima in Belison.
A "sea of debris," the DENR called the sight here as locals try to salvage smaller tree branches for household use.