P-Noy to DENR: Make idle lands productive

TUGUEGARAO CITY , Philippines  – Make all the county’s idle lands productive.

This, according to Cagayan Valley environment regional executive director Benjamin Tumaliuan, was the order of President Aquino to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for all idle lands turned into agro-forestry and biofuel ventures.

Tumaliuan said the order, coursed through DENR Secretary Ramon Paje, was in tune with the new administration’s thrust to further enhance food security, environmental protection and livelihood generation.

Tumaliuan said, this would mean making productive some 7.5 million hectares of idle lands nationwide.

“Here in Cagayan Valley, we should then keep the ball rolling in the sense that we have many idle lands,” Tuma-liuan said. 

“We are now conducting an inventory on various types of land in the region and very soon we will have the complete information on these, as well as those areas which are geo-hazards and flood-prone,” he said. 

Once the inventory of available idle land is finished, he said, this will be posted in all DENR offices for the information of individuals and groups interested to apply to utilize these lands.

“Once the department has come to an agreement with interested individuals or groups, they will be awarded various types of land tenurial instruments to enable them to make the land productive for mutual economic benefits,” Tumaliuan said.