Source: http://www.afrim.org.ph/Archives/1999/BusinessWorld/November/18/Total%20log%20ban%20not%20 a%20catch-all%20solution%20to%20forest%20denudation.

htm Total log ban not a catch-all solution to forest denudation

Codes: E81 Author: EARL WARREN B. CASTILLO Source: Business World - Internet Edition Date Published 11/18/99

A total log ban may not be the catch-all solution to local forest denudation, the Forestry Development Center (FDC) of the University of the Philippines Los Baos (UPLB) said in a recent statement.

The FDC recommended that the government adopt a selective log ban only in critical areas since a total ban on logging in the country will not only be economically risky but environmentally unsound as well.

FDC said the government should implement a logging ban on a per-area basis after completing an integrated area plan of all local forest lands.

In addition, the UPLB institution said the imposition of a logging ban in selected areas should not solely depend on environmental consideration. FDC said such a measure should also be implemented based on the capability of local governments and other institutions to implement the measure. The ban's socio-economic impact on communities near these forest lands should likewise be considered, FDC noted.

"What FDC proposes is for all forest lands to be subjected to integrated area planning," it said.

"Through an integrated area planning, the need to ban or allow commercial logging be it by corporations, communities or individuals can truly be ascertained on grounds of socio-economic viability, politico-institutional readiness and environmental soundness," the institute explained.

FOREST RESOURCES ACT The FDC was reacting to the Senate's approval of Senate Bill (SB) 1695 or the proposed Sustainable Management of Forest Resources Act.

The bill bans the commercial cutting of trees in all types of forests. It also requires an accelerated reforestation program covering 80% of priority target areas which are mainly denuded lands.

Senator Loren Legarda-Leviste, principal author of SB 1695, estimates that the country now has only 700,000 hectares of virgin forests, down significantly from 16 million hectares in the 1930s. FDC said government should take care when formulating guidelines in case it finally decides to adopt a selective log ban policy. FDC said such rules could be "misused."

"FDC believes that just as loggging can be abused, (a) logging ban as a management strategy can be misused," FDC said. "However, if applied within the framework of sustainable forest management, (it) can be an effective strategy for the renewal and protection of our forests."

STILL INCAPABLE Moreover, the UPLB institute noted the Philippines still does not have the capability to effectively implement a total log ban given its meager capital as well as human resources.

"Displacing timber license agreement (TLA) holders will pass additional load to the already burdened DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) in protecting remaining forests," FDC noted.

"The only saving grace of (TLA holders) is that they protect the forests from predators. They do it not out of patriotism but for their own interest and profit--but the result is the same, some modicum of protection," a former official of the DENR said in a previous interview.

FDC said the government will easily need to jack up its expenditures by 25% to cover additional transport costs and the employment of more forest rangers who will do increased on-site guarding of roadblocks and checkpoints.

A study done in 1996 by the International Resource Group noted that the DENR allocates 294 million Philippine pesos (US$7.285 million at PhP40.354=US$1) every year for the protection of the country's forests. This amount accounts for 9% of the DENR's annual budget.

At present, the DENR employs one forest ranger for every 3,000 hectares of forest land; however, it takes two rangers on foot patrol to effectively guard 700 hectares of forest land, or one for every 300 hectares.

DISASTROUS FDC said a total logging ban may even prove to be both environmentally and economically disastrous for the country.

FDC said a total logging ban will disallow the harvesting of old trees which are more likely to release harmful carbon gases into the air when they reach their decaying stage.

The release of carbon gases into the air has been blamed as one of the major culprits of the "global warming" phenomenon.

FDC said harvesting mature trees and converting them into finished goods will prevent the release of carbon in the atmosphere.

"Trees are able to lock carbon molecules in its wood. By utilizing this wood through appropriate harvesting and processing techniques and prolonging its life span in whatever final form it is converted (e.g. furniture, lumber), we are preserving the carbon in the wood and preventing its release to the atmosphere," FDC said.

FDC said a total logging ban will also cost the country heavy dollar expenditures at this time when the Philippines is still trying to recover from the ill effects of the financial crisis.

If a total log ban takes effect by next year, local wood producers estimate that the country would have to import four million cubic meters of logs by the year 2000 to meet local demand for wood.

FDC also said it is poverty, rather than logging itself, which causes deforestation.

A 1996 study done by FDC showed that forest destruction was much more pronounced in areas where logging concessions were cancelled compared with teritorries where timber license agreements are still in force.

Wednesday, December 01, 2004

Over 300 killed in 'Winnie' landslides, floods

MANILA -- Hundreds of people were reported killed and scores of others missing in floods and landslides brought about by heavy rains accompanying tropical depression Winnie as it sliced through Luzon Monday night. in an ABS-CBN report that over 300 persons were killed in Quezon Province alone. advising residents of coastal areas in Central Luzon to leave for safer areas before the tropical storm hits the country. Thousands of families in Metro Manila and northern Luzon were evacuated due to the flooding. No less than 51 barangays in Bulacan, 27 in Nueva Ecija, five in Rizal and Metro Manila were submerged in floodwaters Tuesday. Several bridges and major thoroughfares in the metropolis and affected provinces were rendered impassable to vehicles. ravaged by the typhoon. Power and communication lines in Real and Infanta, Quezon and Dingalan, and Aurora were cut off. The Philippine Army also conducted search and rescue operations in Lucban, Quezon; Gen. Tinio and Gapan, Nueva Ecija; and San Miguel in Bulacan. the extensive damage wrought by tropical depression Winnie.

the five provinces affected by Winnie.

government is willing to release additional funds for the affected areas. Arroyo also visited the areas ravaged by typhoon Unding after she arrived from her trip to Chile, US, Panama and Mexico last November 25.

Source: http://www.philippines.hvu.nl/News2.htm
By Erik de Castro

REAL, Philippines (Reuters) - Rescuers dug with their bare hands Wednesday to find survivors from landslides and floods that killed up to 600 people in a part of the northern Philippines due to be hit by a typhoon in just over 24 hours. Residents of coastal towns worst hit by heavy rains early this week said food and water were running low as rescuers were forced to carry supplies on foot after roads were cut off and bad weather grounded rescue helicopters. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered a nationwide crackdown on the illegal logging believed to have worsened the landslides and told officials to do everything possible to protect people from the coming typhoon. But the isolated location of the towns and worsening weather conditions made them inaccessible by sea or air, forcing hundreds of residents to wade for miles through deep mud for help. "Food and water supplies are running low and the stench of decomposing bodies is starting to overcome us," said Ros Calma, 37, who walked eight hours to escape Real, one of the three towns in Quezon province east of Manila. "We are worried that an epidemic might break out." Interior Secretary Angelo Reyes said up to 600 people may have been killed in landslides and floods that hit several areas in the main northern island of Luzon. Citing police reports, he said 412 people were confirmed dead, 63 injured and 177 missing. In Real, rescuers used sticks and bare hands to search for friends and relatives who

had taken shelter in a large building that then collapsed. Neri Amparo, an official at the National Disaster Coordinating Center, said more than 70 could have been buried alive when boulders swept by mudslides smashed into the building. "So far, only 25 bodies have been found," she said. Decades of logging have cut forest cover in the Philippines from 34 percent in 1970 to 18 percent now, according to the Environmental Science for Social Change, a local activist group. Continued ...
The government imposed a selective log ban after widespread floods in the early 1990s, but numerous "crackdowns" have failed to halt a trade that is worth millions of dollars a year to smugglers and corrupt politicians.

"Illegal logging must now be placed in the most serious crimes against our people," Arroyo said Wednesday. TYPHOON BEARING DOWN Meteorological officials said Typhoon Nanmadol, packing winds of 108 mph at its center, was gaining strength and was expected to hit the east coast late Thursday or on Friday. "We haven't seen anything like this since the start of the year, said Rose Asejo, an official at the national weather bureau. "It's a super typhoon with a wider coverage and very strong winds." The weather was already worsening. Attempts to reach the towns with the country's few rescue helicopters failed and a navy ship ferrying relief supplies to Real was stuck there due to high waves and logs in the sea. Soldiers helping in rescue efforts faced the added danger of attacks by communist rebels, who have a strong presence in the Sierra Madre mountains along the eastern coastline. The military said 10 soldiers were killed and six wounded in an ambush by New People's Army rebels in Bulacan province on Tuesday. Some flood victims had lucky escapes. One 20-year-old man and his heavily pregnant wife were swept along in a flooded river for two hours, surviving by clinging to a water jug and a banana crate before being

fished out by a local resident, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.

The government imposed a selective log ban after widespread floods in the early 1990s, but numerous "crackdowns" have failed to halt a trade that is worth millions of dollars a year to smugglers and corrupt politicians.

"Illegal logging must now be placed in the most serious crimes against our people," Arroyo said Wednesday. TYPHOON BEARING DOWN Meteorological officials said Typhoon Nanmadol, packing winds of 108 mph at its center, was gaining strength and was expected to hit the east coast late Thursday or on Friday. "We haven't seen anything like this since the start of the year, said Rose Asejo, an official at the national weather bureau. "It's a super typhoon with a wider coverage and very strong winds." The weather was already worsening. Attempts to reach the towns with the country's few rescue helicopters failed and a navy ship ferrying relief supplies to Real was stuck there due to high waves and logs in the sea. Soldiers helping in rescue efforts faced the added danger of attacks by communist rebels, who have a strong presence in the Sierra Madre mountains along the eastern coastline. The military said 10 soldiers were killed and six wounded in an ambush by New People's Army rebels in Bulacan province on Tuesday. Some flood victims had lucky escapes. One 20-year-old man and his heavily pregnant wife were swept along in a flooded river for two hours, surviving by clinging to a water jug and a banana crate before being fished out by a local resident, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.

Time is GMT + 8 hours Posted: 02 December 2004 1108 hrs Typhoon Nanmadol hits eastern Philippines

Philippines typhoon

REAL, Philippines : Gale-force winds from Typhoon Nanmadol blacked out the eastern Philippines early Thursday, disrupting rescue efforts for victims of a previous storm that left nearly 600 people dead or missing elsewhere, officials said. The government battened down the hatches, with ferry services out of Manila and the Bicol peninsula to the southeast suspended, stranding several thousand passengers, the civil defence office said.

Small aircraft were also grounded, and school holidays were declared in the capital and neighboring provinces, officials from Manila airport and the education department said. The Red Cross said Nanmadol has killed at least one person on the island of Catanduanes off Bicol. The man was electrocuted in the provincial capital Virac, said Tess Usapdin of the Red Cross. The air force and the navy said air and sea rescue operations for the victims of a previous storm that hit the town of Real and nearby areas on Monday were temporarily suspended. Northeast of the main island of Luzon, small teams of infantrymen on foot tried to deliver food and medicines to hamlets buried by mud or marooned by floods. Monday's tropical depression has left more than 400 people dead and nearly 200 others missing, the civil defense office said. The centre of the relief operations are in the three towns of Real, Infanta and General Nakar, a region of about 110,000 people on the eastern foothills of the Sierra Madre

mountain range, which accounted for nearly 90 percent of the known casualties. Small teams of soldiers fanned out to the worst-hit villages and towns on foot, with one team reaching General Nakar before dawn after a 20-hour slog, fording swollen rivers and marching through mud-covered and debris-strewn roads, Air Force spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Restituto Padilla told AFP. "They are carrying some noodles, canned goods and others. If they meet any surviving victims along the way, they will give them relief packs on their way to Real and Infanta," said Colonel Jaime Buenaflor, who is directing rescue operations from the outskirts of Real. Helicopters and light aircraft airlifting casualties and ferrying relief goods have been temporarily grounded. "Gust factors of more than 30 knots are beyond the capabilities of the aircraft," Padilla said. A naval vessel bringing relief goods to Real sought shelter on the nearby island of Alabat to escape the typhoon's wrath, said navy spokesman Geronimo Malabanan. Volunteer rescue workers in the village of Tignoan, on Real's outskirts, said they had unearthed 97 bloated bodies so far from a beach house that was buried by a mudslide on Monday. More than 100 residents had sought refuge there to escape the rising floodwaters. "We are digging with spades and our bare hands" because heavy equipment could not get through collapsed bridges and roads buried by landslides, said their team leader Mario Nanola. He and a dozen members of the team temporarily pulled out early Thursday to fetch food for the other members of the team. "There are no body bags available. The stench is unbearable," Nanola told AFP. He said he heard from survivors that more bodies were afloat at the coast. Government meteorologists said Typhoon Nanmadol clipped the Bicol region and Catanduanes island early Thursday with gusts of up to 100 kilometres (62 miles) an hour. Electricity has been cut and people in vulnerable areas sought refuge at governmentrun evacuation centers, the Red Cross said. Manila should feel the effects of the typhoon, with centre winds of 185 kilometres (115

miles an hour) in early afternoon, while the eye will strike Aurora province north of Real late Thursday, weather forecaster Nathaniel Cruz said. It should cut through the north of Luzon island overnight on its way to the South China Sea, he added. "This is a strong typhoon," Cruz said, warning of the possibility of high waves generated by strong winds for those living along coastal areas. AFP

PHILIPPINES: 25-year commercial log ban pushed

Source: Copyright 2004, Phillipine Star Date: December 4, 2004 Byline: Jose Rodel Clapano and Perseus Echeminada Original URL: Status DEAD

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. asked President Arroyo yesterday to certify as urgent the long-overdue bills imposing a 25-year ban on commercial logging. Flooding spawned by typhoon "Winnie" Tuesday triggered landslides that left over 600 dead and missing and caused extensive damage to crops and property in various parts of the country. Pimentel also asked Senate President Franklin Drilon and Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. to direct their chambers committees on environment and natural resources to immediately conduct public hearings on the proposed ban on commercial logging. "Unless the government implements a total log ban, we will continue to lose more of our already thinning forests, and the horrible tragedies in Aurora-Quezon this year and in Ormoc in 1991 due to flashfloods and landslides are bound to be repeated," he said. Pimentel said heavy flooding in upland and lowland villages during typhoons, siltation and drying up of rivers and other inland waterways, depletion of ground water resources and diminishing wildlife populations graphically illustrate the critical state of the countrys forests. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)s order to suspend the logging operations of licensed timber companies in the Sierra Madre mountain range near the provinces of Aurora and Quezon, is not enough because it is just a palliative measure that will not eliminate the serious threats posed by deforestation, Pimentel said. "Forests need a respite from logging for 25 years, the length of time it takes for hardwood trees to mature and for the country to regain its lost forest cover," he said.

From 15 million hectares of forests at the start of the 20th century, the Philippines is left with less than seven million hectares of forests and only 800,000 hectares of virgin forest, he added. He cited a DENR report that some 200,000 hectares of forest area are destroyed annually by legitimate and illegal logging, as well as kaingin (slash-and-burn) farming. Pimentel, who also filed Senate Bill 1150 which provides for a log ban, said industrial tree plantations will not be covered by the prohibition so wood requirements for the paper, construction and furniture industries can still be met. He said the selective logging policy has proven ineffective in protecting the forests because loggers still cut trees in areas not covered by their timber permits and their reforestation methods are poor at best. Focus: Mindanao Environment experts warned that the biggest freshwater lake and main source of power in Mindanao is in danger of disappearing in 25 years unless the surrounding watershed areas are protected from loggers. He said the water level in Lake Lanao continues to decline and its conservation is of critical importance due to the looming power crisis in all of Mindanao. Pimentel said six hydroelectric power plants of the National Power Corp. (Napocor) depend on the waters of Lake Lanao and its tributary, the Agus river, to generate power. "Its about time Congress mustered the political will to approve the log ban bill," he said. Despite the urgency of a total log ban to give our forests time to grow back, bills seeking a ban on commercial logging have repeatedly been blocked by powerful logging interests since the bill was first proposed in 1987, Pimentel said. Under Senate Bill 1150, any violator of the log ban law shall be punished with imprisonment from five to 10 years. Punishment under the proposed bill for large logging firms violating the log ban includes the revocation of licenses and business permits and fines of P500,000 to P5 million. In addition to this, the erring companys chairman or chief executive officer faces a jail sentence of five to 10 years. Logging Suspension In the same vein, the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) party will seek a 20-year log ban and ask Malacaang to immediately suspend all logging operations nationwide. "Kampi will seek an audience with President Arroyo to make strong representation that, while we are crafting the proposed measure for a total log ban, logging operations all over the country must be suspended," Kampi spokesman and Isabela Rep. Anthony Miranda told The STAR. Miranda said a 20-year log ban would give the countrys denuded forests time to grow back and would prevent future disasters caused by landslides and flashfloods.

He said the logs carried by the floods into the affected villages and towns were evidence of the massive logging that triggered the disaster. To determine the extent of denudation, Kampi asked the DENRs National Mapping Office (NMO) to produce satellite images of the mountains pinpointing areas of immediate concern. He added that, if illegal logging continues, flashfloods will hit his district, which sits between the Caraballo and Sierra Madre mountain ranges. Presidential assistant for Central Luzon and former Nueva Ecija congressman Rene Diaz proposed the reduction of wood use by shifting to cement, steel and aluminum and thereby deny illegal loggers a market for their products. "If we reduce the market of wood, then there will be less illegal logging," Diaz told reporters during the weekly Balitaan sa Rembrandt hotel forum in Quezon City. Diaz said shifting to other construction materials for houses and buildings will give the countrys forests a respite from years of denudation and other forms of exploitation. Retired Gen. Victor Corpus, for his part, intends to duplicate "Green Panay," a project he started several years ago as part of the anti-insurgency program in the Western Visayas. Corpus was designated anti-illegal logging czar by the President concurrent with his post as chairman of the National Resources Development Corp. (NRDC), a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) under the DENR. "We are mapping out plans to start the program," Corpus said. He adopted Panay as his community for a reforestation program as a pilot area for livelihood assistance for returning rebels. He said reforestation efforts will focus on the typhoon-devastated towns of Real, General Nakar and Infanta in Quezon province. "Under this program, there will be livelihood for the community and local residents because 70 percent of the returns will be given back to the community," he said. In a related development, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) spokesman Gregorio Rosal vehemently denied accusations that the New Peoples Army (NPA) was involved in any way in illegal logging. "For the past 35 years, the CPP, the NPA and other revolutionary forces have stood clearly against the widespread destruction of the environment perpetuated by foreign capitalists and local big capitalists in collusion with the reactionary regime," Rosal said. He said that while the government may blame big-time illegal loggers for the calamities that

hit the northern provinces, it was Malacaang that provided large logging firms with concessionaire permits. Rosal also said Army units in these areas have been "serving as security forces to the biggest logging and timber companies and allowing the legal and illegal export of timber."
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