Joint operatives of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) - Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) here and the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Concepcion town recently seized more than 3,000 board feet of premium Narra flitches worth over P290,000 along the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX).

 

Alfredo Nepacena, chief of Monitoring and Enforcement Section (MES) of CENRO Capas, said they received a report that a vehicular accident occurred along the Concepcion and Luisita toll gates of SCTEX in Barangay Tinang in Concepcion town, involving a truck loaded with Narra flitches.

 

"We initially had a hard time locating the vehicle, and sought the assistance of PNP Concepcion, SCTEX security personnel and the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) of Concepcion in search of the truck," he said.

 

Upon locating the accident site, the damaged vehicle was already abandoned and only Narra flitches and bunches of banana fruits were left scattered along the expressway causing slight traffic congestion.

 

Nepacena said the forest products were presumed illegally sourced, since there were no legal documents accompanying the shipment while according to some nearby residents, the driver and his assistant were allegedly picked up by an unidentified persons riding an SUV, who were then assumed to be escorting the Narra shipment.

 

The seized lumber products and conveyance truck are now impounded at CENRO Capas and will undergo administrative adjudication proceedings to determine who are liable for violation of Presidential Decree No. 705 or the Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines.

 

Narra is a critically endangered species and the collection and trading of this plant is prohibited under DENR Administrative Order 2007-01 or Establishing the List of Threatened Philippine National Plants and Their Categories, and the List of other Wildlife Species, unless it is covered by a permit from DENR.

 

DENR records show that over 294,687 board feet of illegal lumber worth P16 million have been apprehended in the region since 2020. (-30-)

According to Paquito Moreno, Jr., executive director of DENR regional office, the region-wide bamboo planting was fundamental both in rehabilitating denuded forest areas and in facilitating rapid recovery of river easements, and in stabilizing river banks, particularly in Manila Bay areas and river systems in Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, and Tarlac.

 

“Bamboo offers a wide array of environmental benefits, which makes it a golden resource in the construction industry. In the implementation of our Manila Bay rehabilitation program, we consider it as a crucial component of soil erosion control and slope stabilization measures, which will fast-track our efforts to clean and restore river systems in the region,” Moreno explained.

 

He said bamboo suitability assessment was conducted before planting bamboo propagules along riverbanks to determine appropriate bamboo species in the area.

 

It may be recalled that Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu made a marching order to plant and use bamboo as priority species to rehabilitate river banks and the Manila Bay, and maximize its capability as an alternative wood supply in the construction industry.

 

As this developed, Moreno reported that a 1.7-hectare bambusetum and bamboo nursery was established in Barangay Mambog in Hermosa, Bataan, where some 950 propagules of Giant Bamboo (Dendrocalamus giganteus), Yellow bamboo (Phyllostachys sp.), Budda belly bamboo (Bambusa venteicosa), Kawayan tinik (Bambusa blumeana), Kawayan kiling (Bambusa blancoi), and Bayog (Dendrocalamus merrillianus) species have been cultivated in partnership with the local government units.

 

DENR records show that more than 14,600 hectares of bamboo plantations have been established under the NGP since 2012.

 

World Bamboo Day is celebrated every September 18 of each year to promote awareness on the economic and ecological importance of bamboo species.

 

This year’s theme, “Alay ng Bayan sa Inang Kalikasan, Kawayan,” underscores the importance of bamboos and its potential to aid in today’s most pressing socio-economic and ecological issues. (-30-)

In his memorandum, Paquito Moreno, Jr., executive director of DENR in Central Luzon, stated that employees and food service providers would be strictly prohibited from using plastic bottles, cups, straws, cutlery, thin-filmed sando bags, styrofoam, and plastic take-out containers.

 

"We consider this initiative as a big leap in our fight against plastic pollution, which poses danger to the environment and hampers the fulfillment of cleaning our water bodies, specifically those that drain to Manila Bay," Moreno said.

 

A "no baonan, no food" policy would be likewise imposed in the DENR regional office, where bringing of individual food containers and eco-bags would be mandatory among employees before buying food and goods from the canteen.

 

Moreno said that during in-house meetings and trainings in the regional office, participants would be required to bring their own tumblers, while caterers would be advised to provide water dispenser and drinking glasses.

 

"We hope that this practice would be adopted by all regional agencies here in the government center including the local government units to create a big impact in saving our environment," he added.

 

According to studies, around 2.7 million tons of plastic waste are generated in the Philippines each year, 20% of which is estimated to end up in the ocean.

 

In Central Luzon, a large volume of collected wastes from cleanup activities are made up of single-used plastics, such as plastic bags, bottles, straws, and food wrappers.

Paquito Moreno, executive director of the DENR regional office, reported that from more than 1,400 tons of mixed wastes collected in 2019 when the Battle for Manila Bay was launched, the figures have progressed to 23,000 tons of wastes that have been collected from January to August of this year.

 

"We have doubled our efforts to clean our rivers through grubbing of rivers and creeks in Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Nueva Ecija. Grubbing is the mechanized removal of wastes already deposited at the bottom of rivers," he explained.

 

He said there is a lot more to be done to finally clean Manila Bay, but the progress has been enormous since the campaign started two years ago.

 

The DENR has also deployed some 420 Estero rangers in Manila Bay areas in the region primarily tasked to conduct cleanup and monitoring of rivers, beaches, and other water bodies.

 

A total of 125 trash traps were also installed in Bulacan, Bataan, and Pampanga to prevent solid wastes from reaching the coastlines of Manila Bay.

 

Moreno appealed to the public to properly manage their solid wastes and support government efforts to save Manila Bay.

 

"We encourage everyone to religiously segregate their solid wastes at home and avoid using lots of single-used plastics because this will help in the reduction of our daily garbage generation," he added. (-30-)