This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 8, April 3-9, 2005
The Town that Lost
Its ‘Black Gold’
Natividad town is located at
the foot of Mt. Caraballo in Pangasinan with over 12,000 has of forested area.
Entry and exit posts have been put in place by authorities to monitor economic
activities and watch over endangered teak trees, alingo (wild boar) and
deer that still roam the mountains.
By Jhong dela Cruz NATIVIDAD, Pangasinan -
Manuel Esguerra, 48, a father of two in Sitio San Jose, Barangay (village)
Cacandungan in this town, used to call his charcoal products “black gold” and
the field of trees atop Mt. Caraballo (some are rare types) his “mine chamber.” However, after the local
government declared a log ban in December following an order of the Department
of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Esguerra would just stare at the
mountain from his shack that stands 20 meters from the Viray River. These days, he wakes up at
4 a.m., as he prepares to go out to pick up some fallen trees in the forest. He
returns to pack his Grade 6 son his “baon” (school meal). Local officials lifted the
ban on Feb. 10 - but not for forest logging. Charcoal producers are still
allowed to log but only within their private lands and with the permit of the
local government. Natividad is located at the
foot of Mt. Caraballo with over 12,000 has of forested area. Entry and exit
posts have been put in place by authorities to monitor economic activities and
watch over endangered teak trees, alingo (wild boar) and deer that still
roam the mountains. Washed out logs In July 1990, a big
earthquake hit Luzon. In Benguet province, the earthquake sent masses of logs
cascading down the Viray River. People flocked to the river, picked up the logs
and began building huts along the river. Some of the woods were also collected
for charcoal production. Natividad Mayor Alejandria
Supnet said the town’s forests that provided timber for charcoal production to
about 80 percent of its population since the 1970s should be guarded to save
them from future disasters. Many families affected by
the log ban, the mayor said, are now engaged in forest tree nursery seedlings
production. Varieties of trees being grown in time for the rainy season are
mahogany, narra, gmelina and teak tree. Watchdog In a resolution by the
Sangguniang Bayan (municipal council) in December, the local government created
its version of Task Force Bantay Kalikasan, a first of its kind in Pangasinan.
Composed of local officials, the environmental watchdog includes seven barangays,
namely, San Macario Norte, San Macario Sur, Cacandungan, Batchelor East, Salud,
San Eugenio, San Miguel and Calapugan. Four of these (San Macario Norte, San
Macario Sur, Sitio San Jose of Cacandungan and Batchelor East) have
charcoal-producers. Michael Sevilla,
agricultural technologist and chair of the task force, said families were at
first disgruntled over the log ban but through information campaign since
January, they now understand the importance of forest management. A typical family produces
at least 20-30 sacks of charcoal twice a month with each sack fetching P100.
Traders should secure permit from the local government before buying charcoal
from the local producers. Buho,
a minor forest bamboo, can still be harvested at 250 poles within a year for low
income families, says Sevilla. Income derived from
charcoal production is not enough for a family, however. To compensate for the loss
of income due to the DENR restrictions, Esguerra asked his wife to consider
government’s offer to plant and sell forest tree seedlings. He on the other hand
will go back to construction work. Tree
seedlings Last week, local officials
asked Pangasinan Gov. Victor Agbayani to help families affected by the log ban
with the government buying their forest tree seedlings. Allowing the barter of
goods for the seedlings, or paying for labor for reforesting the mountains were
also considered. “Even our employees from government
offices have been doing their share by planting trees every Friday afternoon,”
Sevilla added. The ‘Tree Planting Day’ was declared when Supnet was reelected in
the last May elections. Municipal councilors have
fetched in by donating P3,000 from their countrywide development fund (CDF) for
the purchase of knapsack sprayers, flashlights and communications radio for 12
forest guards. Supnet said, “We take pride
in this endeavor, because neighboring towns like San Nicolas and San Quintin
have signaled their intention to follow by forming their own task force.” A two-ha Forest Park is
being built on Batchelor East which is turning out to be a favorite
nature-refuge for townsfolk. Bulatlat © 2004 Bulatlat
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