BY Mae Singuay Magbanua
BACOLOD City – An engineer in Barangay Sum-ag here, will face charges after allegedly cutting down mangrove trees along the river without a permit.
According to Community Environment and Natural Resources (CENRO)-Bago City Chief Joan Nathaniel Gerangaya, they are preparing the complaint against the engineer for violating Presidential Decree (PD) 705, as amended by Republic Act 7161, or the Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines.
According to investigations by CENRO, several mangrove trees were cut down with no pertinent documents secured from their office. Gerangaya said that under the law, the barangay will be the complainant while CENRO will serve as witness in the case. Barangay Sum-ag Chief Rodney Carmona said they will file the case within the week.
According to Gerangaya, they uncovered three issues in the ongoing development – unpermitted tree cutting, diking and reclaiming. Only the cutting down of the mangrove trees falls in the jurisdiction of CENRO, while the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Office of the Building Official (OBO), and the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) will be responsible in handling the other two.
CENRO began their investigations after Carmona had asked them to look into the on-going beach resort project at the entrance of the Sum-ag River./PN
