DENR mulls fees for commercial use of forests

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is planning to impose forest charges for the commercial use of the country’s watersheds and forestlands in an effort to generate funds for the government.

“Nothing is free nowadays,” Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje said yesterday in a press conference.

“There are many forestland users, and most of them are only paying an average annual fee of P3,000 per hectare,” Paje revealed. Among the forestland users are telecommunications companies, water utility firms and power producers, he added.

The DENR head estimates that the agency can generate up to P1 billion in fees and charges which will go directly to the national coffers.

Paje said they are hoping that such funds be exclusively allotted for its upland rehabilitation program. The DENR is lobbying with the Senate that in crafting such a law, the money collected should be exclusively plowed back to sustain the country’s reforestation effort, as well as other environmental protection activities.

Paje pointed out that telecommunication companies are paying P50,000 a month for private lands, compared to a measly rental to the government of just P3,000 per year.

He said there are currently 9,000 towers established nationwide by different telecom companies.

Aside from forestland users, the DENR is also looking at imposing fees from water users, for watershed rehabilitation.

Paje noted that Maynilad and Manila Water are charging each consumer an environmental fee of not less than P30 per month, but not a “single centavo goes back for upland rehabilitation and watershed protection.”

The DENR argued that without watersheds, there would be no water, and if watersheds are not protected there will be no water in Metro Manila.

Paje proposes that there be an allocation from the environmental charge for upland rehabilitation and watershed protection.

According to Paje, the thrust of the DENR under his watch is to transform some eight million hectares of open, denuded and degraded areas under productive management to generate P80 billion/year at P10,000 per hectare/year.

Likewise, the DENR is also pushing for the enactment of a Sustainable Forest Management Bill to complete the constitutional mandate of establishing the country’s permanent forest line.