Uprooting of 400 trees inside ISCOF Dumangas condemned
Groups advocating environmental protection have bonded together to condemn the ruthless uprooting of more than 400 mahogany trees inside the Iloilo State College of Fisheries (ISCOF) - Dumangas Campus which they dubbed as "mahogany trees massacre".
The group composed of representatives from the academe, civil society, youth, barangay and religious sector held a press conference in Dumangas last Friday to condemn the uprooting of the five-year old mahogany trees and call on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to penalize those responsible for such act.
Edinelo Empedrado, Faculty President of ISCOF-Dumangas, said the uprooting of trees was illegal since based on their investigation it did not have a permit from the DENR.
The uprooting of the mahogany trees within the oval of ISCOF-Dumangas was based on the resolution of the Board of Directors of the 4th Congressional District Sports Association dated October 9, 2008.
The resolution states that the mahogany trees found within the oval could hamper the different sports activities that would be held inside the ISCOF-Dumangas being the main venue of the 4th Congressional District Meet which begins today, Nov. 10, until the 13th.
Empedrado said based on the documents Department of Education (DepEd) District Supervisor Nelson Blanco, chair of the 4th CDSA, wrote the DENR Barotac Nuevo to ask permission for the uprooting of the mahogany trees on October 20, which was received by the said office October 21.
The following day, Oct. 22, Empedrado said, the uprooting of trees was done using the back hoe and dumptrucks of the municipality of Dumangas.
Empedrado said when the uprooting was done the DENR has not yet acted on Blanco's letter as they were still supposed to conduct an inspection on the area.
Empedrado also lamented that they, or the Class 1952 who planted those trees, were not consulted about the CDSA's move to uproot the mahogany trees within the oval of ISCOF Dumangas.
He said the uprooting of the mahogany trees, which are already about 12 to 15 feet high, just to clear the oval for sports activities is highly unjustifiable as the trees do not in any way cause disturbance on the field as they were placed on the extreme ends of the football field or playground.
Besides, Empedrado said sports events that need a wider area could be held in other venues not only in ISCOF Dumangas since it is a district-wide affair.
Sangguniang Bayan Member Ian Joel Dolendo, who brought the issue to the municipal council, said the uprooting of the trees is contrary to the government policy of promoting the planting of trees to balance the ecosystem and protect the environment.
He also decried that the trees were simply uprooted without minding to transfer it as what they stated in their resolution and letter to the DENR.
Dolendo said, they were informed that the uprooted trees landed at the backyard of a bakery in Dumangas.
The group vowed to file charges against those persons behind the "mahogany trees massacre."