THE recent campaign of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Western Visayas (DENR-6) against illegal occupation in protected areas resulted in the issuance of Notices of Violation (NOV) and Show Cause Orders by the Community ENR Office of Bago City in Negros Occidental.
Recently, a total of 50 notices of violation (NOVs) and two show-cause orders were given to the illegal occupants of the Northern Negros Natural Park (NNNP).
“Like NNNP, other protected areas are our hopes to continue the green and blue ecosystems balance,” said DENR-6 regional director Livino Duran.
“They are the home to our diverse floras and faunas, they are our biodiversity, and of course, the trees in our protected areas (PAs) provide us with an abundant supply of oxygen for our daily needs, so, therefore, the protected area should remain protected,” he added.
NNNP is in the northwestern part of Negros Island within the province of Negros Occidental. It covers 11 local government units, including the cities of Cadiz, Silay, Talisay, Victorias, Sagay, and San Carlos, as well as the towns of E.B. Magalona, Taboso, Calatrava, Salvador Benedicto, and Murcia. It is home to several threatened and endangered endemic species, including the Negros bleeding heart dove, Visayan warty pig, Visayan spotted deer, and red Lauan.
According to NNNP Protected Area superintendent Joan Nathaniel Gerangaya, violators failed to obtain building permits or a tenurial instrument such as the Special-use Agreement in Protected Area and approval from the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) before construction.
He cited Section 18 of Republic Act 11038 or the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act, which states that it is unlawful for any person to occupy or dwell in any public land within the protected area without clearance from the PAMB and could warrant a fine of P200,000 to P1 million and/or imprisonment of one to six years.
The department installed public notices and signage throughout the protected area to warn potential buyers of public lands.
In July, a man was caught selling portions of public land in Brgy. Kumaliskis, Salvador Benedicto. Two more suspects were arrested in Brgy. Bunga the following day for engaging in the same activity.(DENR-6)
