DENR awards land patents to Iloilo folk

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has awarded land patents to 78 residents of Iloilo, covering around 109 hectares, as part of the recently launched Regional People’s Hour of the agency in the province.

This, while DENR chief Lito Atienza announced the relief and transfer of a community environment and natural resources officer (CENRO) and a park superintendent over the cutting of a century-old Narra tree in Bulabog Puti-an National Park in Dingle, Iloilo.

“Every Filipino aspires to have a piece of land where they can build their dreams. This aspiration is sacred to us and we are, therefore, fasttracking the processing of land patents in all parts of the country,” Atienza said.

“We are likewise working for the speedier resolution (of) land cases in the country to unlock the potential of land as a dynamo of national development,” he added.

According to Atienza, more joint efforts with local government units and Regional People’s Hour will be undertaken in the coming months.

He said the Regional People’s Hour in Ilo­ilo City is part of the DENR’s “continuing and determined effort to bring the government closer to the people.”

The People’s Hour is regularly conducted at the DENR central office in Quezon City every Thursday.  Atienza, at this point, directed DENR Regional Executive Director for Western Visayas Lormelyn Claudio to hold her own Regional People’s Day every Thursday to ensure continuity and sustained action on the public’s concerns with the DENR.

The DENR conducted the second leg of its Regional People’s Hour in Iloilo province on Friday.  The first Regional People’s Hour was held in Pangasinan Aug. 1.

The People’s Hour is believed to be an effective mechanism in resolving pending issues on environment and natural resources, and in addressing grievances of the public in their dealings with the DENR. 

Additionally, at the sidelines of the Regional People’s Hour in Iloilo City, Atienza announced the immediate relief and transfer of OIC-CENRO for Barotac Nuevo Cesar Leaban to the office of the DENR’s provincial office in Negros Occidental. He also announced the transfer of park superintendent Apolinario Corbal to the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO).

Atienza ordered the relief and transfer of the two DENR local officials pending the resolution of an investigation being conducted by a team from the DENR regional office over the cutting of the century-old Narrra tree in a national park in Iloilo.

“If the allegation is proven to be true, he will not only lose his job, he will also go to jail,” Atienza said. “The park superintendent will also be held accountable not only to the CENRO.”

“Both CENRO and park superintendent will suffer the consequences because this (cutting of the century-old Narra tree) will not happen without (their) knowledge,” he also said.

Information reaching the DENR central office disclosed that concerned citizens reported about the cutting of the century-old Narra tree in the national park on July 10.

Immediately, the DENR regional office created a team to investigate the incident.

Although the guilt of the two DENR local officials is yet to be determined, the DENR said that the two might be slapped with violations of PD 705, or the Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines.