Ilocos Norte town, DENR seal deal on sustainable forest development

LAOAG CITY -- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Ilocos regional office recently signed a memorandum of agreement with the Piddig local government unit in connection with the Forest Land Use Plan (FLUP).

Funded jointly by the DENR and the Piddig LGU, the FLUP is meant to alleviate poverty and hunger through an effective and efficient management, protection and sustainable development of its forests and forestlands in the upland areas.

“This means a lot for us. If you look around, there’s a lot of public lot underutilized,” said Piddig Mayor Eduardo Guillen in an interview following the recent signing of the FLUP held at Rivermount Hotel in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte last week.

Of the 14,000-hectare forest area in Piddig, about 11,000 has been identified as production area for possible plantation development.

Under the MOA, the DENR will lead and conduct different training workshops and field level activities in pursuing the preparation of the FLUP; assist in the preparation of the executive order for the members of the city or municipality FLUP technical working group; and provide guidance in the legitimization and adoption process of the plan.

The Piddig LGU meanwhile pledged to allocate an initial P23 million for a period of five years.

For 2017, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) Juan de los Reyes said other local government units here have also applied for FLUP yet they can only accommodate at least four to five municipalities.

While preparing for the FLUP, delos Reyes urged all local government units in the province to formulate their municipal land use plan integrating the three important component which include the following: Disaster risk and reduction and management, integrated coastal resources and management, and forest land use.

He added the DENR is ready to extend the necessary technical assistance and support in the formulation and approval of the said plan at the municipal, city or provincial level as it calls for strong and meaningful collaborative efforts among the various stakeholders.