Rama, DENR sign pact to protect forest lands

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) officials agreed to help each other in taking care of the city’s forest lands.

A Memorandum of Agreement was entered into by Rama and DENR-7 director Maximo Dichoso to create a technical working group to come up with a forest land use plan to protect the 1,600-hectare forest lands in the city.

Rama said the members of the technical working group will soon hold series of meetings with their counterparts from the DENR to start working for the plan.

“My vision in upland barangays is to balance the development and environment that is why I am reviving the Hillyland Commission to take care of our upland areas,” Rama said.

Cebu City has a total land area of 32,880 hectares in which 1,600 hectares is said to be forest that is classified open access or not covered by any form of tenure, government proclamations or reservations.

Rama said he is happy about the cooperation of the city and the DENR to protect the forest because his father, Fernando Rama, used to be an agriculturist.

Teodorico Barral, DENR’s Provincial Environmental and Natural Resources Officer, explained that the people who are living in forested areas will not be evicted from their locations. Instead they will be involved in the effort.

The output coming from the technical working group will be reviewed before its submission to the City Development Council and the City Council for approval.

It was reported that several parcels of the forested lands in hinterland barangays have been sold already to private individuals and are now home to huge structures such as rest houses.

“Nindot kaayo ni nga kalamboan kay may katungod na ang Cebu City nga mohatag og pagtagad sa kayutaan sa kagamhanan diha sa bukid, dili kay magsalig ra sa DENR,” says a DENR official.  (FREEMAN)