Some 6.084 million pesos of information technology (IT) equipment were distributed to the various offices of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 including its 12 field units in Central Visayas.  DENR 7 Regional Executive Director Maximo O. Dichoso said these equipment which are considered as high capacity and high powered are necessary in pursuing the computerization efforts of the region particularly land information pertaining to cadastral maps, approved land survey, public land applications, and titles.

DENR Undersecretaries Ernesto Adobo and Demetrio Ignacio Jr. led the turnover and delivery of the said equipment on March 23, 2012 at the DENR-7 Training Hall, Banilad, Mandaue City, with the presence of provincial environment and natural resources officers (PENROs) and community environment and natural resources officers (CENROs). In a turnover speech, Undersecretary Ignacio pointed out the three-year improvement or upgrading of the information technology infrastructure of DENR that will operationalize a national greening program (NGP) website to be managed by cenros, digitize land records, and establish connectivity among field offices.

“This is the initial deployment of IT equipment and by June this year we shall have used a voice over internet protocol (VOIP) all over the regions including its field offices so that we would be able to know the situation on the ground and respond to issues in real time,” Ignacio said. He further said that DENR Secretary Ramon JP Paje envisioned that after three years of IT upgrading program which is considered the most electronically advanced, all permit applications would be received and released via computer or through the internet.

Meanwhile, Undersecretary Adobo said that these equipment will be used to eventually drumbeat the “big ticket” programs of DENR such as the NGP and the cadastral survey. “This is the biggest IT turnover and deployment thus far and I am instructing to our field officers to ensure that these equipment are used to its specified purposes for better public services,” Dichoso added.

Taking a cue on the dismal compliance of existing forestry laws and regulations, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 organized a series of dialogues with lumber dealers and wood processing plant operators in four provinces in Central Visayas. “The dialogue is pursued to identify certain gaps and issues on how to deal with the low level of compliance among the operators and to find acceptable solutions to the problem,” DENR-7 Regional Executive Director Maximo O. Dichoso said. The dialogue was held in Bohol on February 22, Siquijor on February 23, and Negros Oriental on February 24.

In a dialogue, Dichoso indicated DENR Secretary Paje’s articulation that under a new regime in forest resource development, the country’s shift to tree plantation development has been given the needed push in recognizing the sustainability of tree plantations as a viable source of timber. Recently, close to 150 lumber dealers and operators attended the dialogue held at Ecotech Pavillion, Lahug, Cebu City. He said that DENR-7 is willing to provide the needed support and assistance to the operators and dealers through expediting and facilitating of accepting and approving new applications and renewal, as long as we respect and hold on to the established environmental regulations.

As an output of the dialogue, the participants formed a Cebu Provincial Association of Lumber Dealers and Wood Processing Plant Operators and elected its officers, namely: Joel Maniwan, President; Van Russel Teng, Vice President; Kirsten Fernandez, Secretary; Janet San Pedro, Treasurer; and Jimmy Maglasang and Cesar Manalili, Auditors. “This is a welcome development among lumber dealers and wood processing plant operators so that they would be able to police their own ranks and possibly benefit from an institutional support from the association,” he added.

A total of 321 or 67 percent of 479 wood processing plant and lumber dealer establishments in Central Visayas are operating without the necessary permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7. An inventory was conducted by the community environment and natural resources offices (CENROs) showed that Cebu province has 81 firms with permit and 188 or 70 percent are without permit. In Bohol, 31 have permit while 50 have no permit or 62 percent.

On the other hand, Negros Oriental had a total of 108 establishments, 63 or 58 percent have no permit to operate and 45 have permit. In Siquijor, 95 percent or 20 out 21 have no permits. Wood processing plant permit is the operating permit to sawmill, mini-sawmill, re-saw permit, plywood/veneer plants, blockboards, fiberboard, particle board and other wood based panel plants and wood treating plants. It is issued to the holders of existing timber license agreements or permits and for those non-timber holders but with approved equity participation agreement maybe granted a permit not exceeding two years. Permits that maybe issued to operators other that the above shall have a duration of not more than one year.

Lumber is a product of the saw and planning mill and not further manufactured other than sawing, resawing and passing lengthwise through standard planning machine, crosscutting to length, and matching. Earlier, Dichoso issued a notice of violation (NOV) to 321 wood processing plant operators and lumber dealers without the appropriate permit. “We are giving those operators to fully comply with the requirements of the forestry laws until March 2012, after such time we shall have implemented the closure of certain establishments for non-compliance,” he said.

“The DENR pursues a more strong campaign against environmental law violators as environmental law enforcement is one of the priority thrusts of DENR Secretary Ramon JP Paje,” Dichoso added. To recall, President Aquino III issued Executive Order No. 23 declaring a moratorium on the cutting and harvesting of timber in the natural and residual forests and creating the anti-illegal logging task force.