MP PNP chief Enmodias endorses ‘cultural logging’

By Gina Dizon

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- With continued incidents of illegal logging in the province particularly at Bauko municipality, provincial police director Oliver Enmodias wants to keep logging activities within the “batangan” cultural system of communities.

In a press conference here with members of the Montanosa Press Club, Enmodias said he wants barangays to forge agreement with the Philippine National Police on the observance of customary practises of managing forest products especially in not selling lumber.

Pine trees in customary practice are cut from the woodlot of the owner and the lumber utilized for building own houses.   

Enmodias made known to the media two incidents of illegal logging happened January to February this year.

An estimated value of P24,144 covering 1,006 board feet of pine lumber was confiscated at Monamon Norte and Mt Am-o at Abatan, Bauko. No one was arrested in the joint operations conducted by the Regional Public Safety  Battalion and PNP-Mountain Province. Previous illegal logging incidents were noted last year at Balintaugan, Bauko.

Early this year,122 board feet of pine lumber was also confiscated at Mt Mar-og, Tocucan, Bontoc with an estimated value of P3,050.

Joint Administrative Order of 2008 of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) provides for  guidelines and procedures for the recognition, documentation, registration and confirmation of all sustainable traditional and indigenous forest resources management systems and practices (STIFRMSP) of indigenous cultural communities or indigenous peoples in ancestral domains/lands.

To date, implementing respective rules and regulations per municipality of the Province in furtherance of the joint NCIP-DENR AO of 2008 are currently processed for formulation and further adoption.