Caraga wood industry dying due to corruption

BUTUAN CITY — The leader of 20,000 small tree farmers in the Caraga region warned yesterday that the wood industry here is on the brink of collapse because of alleged corruption in government and the absence of clear-cut policies.

Greg Mitchao, president of the Caraga Federation of Tree Farmers and Developers, claimed that majority of their members have shifted to making palm oil because it is hassle-free compared to tree farming, which is totally regulated by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Lawyer Beverly Del Valle, of the Union of Concerned Consumers of Caraga, supported Mitchao’s claim, saying the intervention of corrupt law enforcers through the setting up of checkpoints only worsened the situation.

"This has been the problem of the wood industry for a long time, but the government did not take this seriously. The government should have simplified procedures and publicly issued clear-cut laws on how to acquire permits so that tree farmers don’t have to bribe authorities," Del Valle added.

Mitchao and Del Valle claimed this problem also encourages the smuggling of logs, resulting in revenue losses to the government.

The Caraga region has nearly one million hectares of timberland, private tree farm lands and agricultural lands, which if tapped and developed into productive use could provide jobs to more than 300,000 residents.

DENR-Caraga executive director Benjamin Tumaliuan said the region supplies nearly 70 percent of the country’s wood supply needs and is being eyed as the country’s timber corridor.

Some 20,000 Caraga tree farmers occupying nearly 50,000 hectares of titled lands plant gmelina, falcate, bagras and other wood species.