'Logging, charcoal making destroying Mindoro forest cover'

CALAPAN CITY, Philippines  – Mindoreños fear that landslides and massive flooding may happen again in low-lying areas with more typhoons coming, as both legal and illegal logging, together with charcoal-making, remain uncontrolled.

Fearing this scenario, a group calling itself the Alyansa Laan sa Kaunlaran at Kalikasan, Laban sa Kahirapan (Alaska) is calling on the national government, specifically the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and other environmental groups to work together to stop the “wanton destruction” of the forest cover of Mindoro Island.

“Now that rainy days are here, there is a big possibility that landslides on the hilly sides of our mountains, massive flooding, and other calamities may occur here,” said Alaska leader Isagani Dayrit.

He said some environmentalists and groups are only looking at the supposed destruction caused by mining but do not see the everyday damage in the mountains through both legal and illegal logging and charcoal-making.

For instance, Alaska leaders noted what is happening in Barangay Villa Cerveza, a mountainous area in Victoria, Oriental Mindoro, where villagers see an average of 300 to 400 trucks and jeepneys transporting burnt and cut logs at least four times a week.

They bewailed how businessmen are luring Mangyans to resort to kaingin (slash-and-burn farming), cutting of trees, and charcoal-making for a living instead of their traditional farming methods.