EDITORIAL

Will new DENR Cordillera chief live up to his words?

Protection of the region’s forests is the top priority this year of the Cordillera according to Primitivo Galinato Jr. who was appointed recently by Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza as regional executive director of the DENR in the Cordillera.

Galinato took over the post of Samuel Penafiel, who was detailed at the DENR central office in Manila. The new director told newsmen the position of DENR chief in the Cordillera carries with it heavy responsibility since like other regions in the country, Cordillera is hounded by serious ecological problems.

Galinato cited importance of the region’s watersheds which supports life systems and serves domestic and agricultural water needs in the Cordillera and three other regions in Luzon. He said protection of the region’s forests should be the concern of every DENR worker because lives of thousands of people depend on whatever action is taken in the forests and watersheds of the Cordillera.

One of the first actions of the new Cordillera DENR official was to order the creation of fire brigades in areas prone to forest fires during the dry season. Galinato said there is need to strengthen a multi-sectoral committee which is investigating the reported destruction of the mossy forests at the boundaries of Benguet, Mountain Province and Ifugao.

He said this is in support of the creation of quick response teams by the Regional Development Council. Galinato said he will work for the improvement of the land-acquisition system in the region, particularly Baguio noting the present system is plagued by problems regarding disposal of lands. The RDC earlier adapted an inter-agency approach to land management.

Galinato said he would work closely with other national government agencies, local officials, and RDC in the formulation of a master plan for the protection and preservation of the region’s forests. Forests, he added, are being rapidly denuded by the expansion of commercial vegetable farms, which is being tolerated by local government units.

Galinato appealed to stakeholders in the region to help preserve and protect watersheds for the sake of the future generations. Galinato was former DENR regional executive director of the Caraga Region. Let us see if his words match his actions.