LARENA, Siquijor (PIA) — Siquijor provincial environment and natural resources officer-in-charge Atty. Divina N. Carreon highlighted the need to safeguard the Siquijor environment as she appealed for cooperation and collaboration from both the police and the community.
“We are willing to conduct orientation on environmental laws in case there is a need. You can coordinate with our office,” assured Carreon during the Police Community Relations (PCR) Month kick-off ceremony where she was the guest of honor and speaker of the Siquijor Police Provincial Office.
Carreon said DENR is the prime mover for the conservation, management, development and proper use of the country’s environment and natural resources, but admitted that they need other government agencies to help them carry out their mandate.
“As far as protection is concerned thru enforcement, we are bereft of manpower and authority,” said Carreon to the police officers.
“We do not even have guns and ammunition to protect ourselves against adverse reactions of apprehended persons. We are aware that it is not part of our mandate but your presence will boost our confidence and morale in enforcing the environmental laws,” she added, citing the numerous environmental laws that they are mandated to enforce.
She is confident, however, that their goals are aligned and unified with the police organization.
“After all, the sustainability of the environment and natural resources is the concern of every human being. Humanity ends when the environment and natural resources are not sustained. Nature can exist without us but we cannot exist without nature,” she said.
Mobilizing citizenry thru priority thrusts
Carreon underscored their mission to mobilize the citizenry to achieve the country’s vision for “a nation enjoying and sustaining its natural resources and a clean and healthy environment.”
She said DENR is implementing the National Greening Program within timberland area which considers production and protection forest pursuant to EO 26 signed by then President Benigno Simeon Aquino III.
The objective of the E.O. is to pursue sustainable development for poverty reduction, food security, biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation and mitigation.
“The province of Siquijor has a total land area of 34,350 hectares and 1,160 hectares is classified as timberland areas, which includes Bandilaan, Siquijor,” she said.
To ensure forest cover, DENR is also enforcing environmental laws like Presidential Decree 705 as amended by Republic Act 7161, which prohibits the cutting, gathering, collecting, removing of timber from any forest land or timber from alienable and disposable public land, or from private land without any authority or possesses timber or other forest products without the legal documents.
Conserve protected areas, biodiversity resources
Although Siquijor province has no protected area, Carreon said the DENR endorses the declaration of Bandilaan as Protected Area (PA) because it meets the criteria as the initial component of a PA after the conduct of Protected Area Suitability Assessment or (PASA).
The endorsement is pending before the office of the Biodiversity Management Bureau of DENR, she said.
She said the declaration of PA is thru RA 7586 or NIPAS Act, subsequently amended by RA 11038 or Expanded NIPAS, as a strategy to protect the biodiversity resources- flora and fauna and its habitat within the area.
“Even if Bandilaan is not yet declared as PA, there are biodiversity resources (flora and fauna) within the area, thus protection is necessary pursuant to RA 9147 or Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act in reference to PD 705 if endemic/indigenous trees or forest products are taken from Bandilaan,” she said.
Bandilaan is a habitat of a bird species called Streak breasted Bulbul, so that conduct of periodic monitoring of the species and its habitat is ensured.
“Nature can exist without us but we cannot exist without nature. Thus, we respectfully appeal for your cooperation and collaboration which is the essence of your Community Relations program,” Carreon said. (RAC/PIA7-Siquijor)
