MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has warned the public against forged environmental clearance certificates (ECCs) circulated by unscrupulous individuals.
The DENR said it discovered recently a fake ECC supposedly issued to an indigenous people’s organization for a gold mining project in Zamboanga del Sur.
The fake ECC purportedly issued by the DENR to a certain Balabag Indigenous Peoples’ Minahang Bayan Producers Cooperative (BIPMBP) bears the forged signatures of DENR officials, including that of Environment Secretary Ramon Paje.
“It supposedly gives BIPMBP the clearance to conduct open pit and tunnel method of mining gold and other minerals covering some 25,000 hectares in Sitio Balabag, Bayog town,” the DENR said.
Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) director Leo Jasareno maintained that no such ECC was issued.
“Per DENR records, no such issuance exists and the signatures affixed to it are forged,” he said.
As an indication that the ECC is indeed a fraudulent one, Jasareno noted that his fake signature appeared under the “Recommending Approval” heading while that of Paje appears under the “Approved by” heading.