GREEN Alert Negros (GAN) slammed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for allegedly employing selective justice with its failure to file charges against the owners of illegal structures inside the Northern Negros Natural Park (NNNP).
GAN coordinator Randy James Rojo said the DENR filed charges for violation of National of 1992 against Rolando Oyco, a charcoal maker in Salvador Benedicto.
“If charcoal makers cut trees to feed their hungry families, why are they immediately put to prison? What about the illegal structures inside NNNP? Are these people above the law? Both the charcoal maker and the illegal structure owners violated Republic Act (RA) 7586,” Rojo pointed out.
The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources in Negros Occidental filed the complaint against a charcoal maker from Barangay Igmaya-an for violation of Section 20 of RA 7586.
The complaint was lodged by Penro officer-in-charge Edgardo Rostata with assistance from the Legal Division of DENR-Negros Island Region spearheaded by lawyers Cheryll Rose Librero and Bronwen May Lagura.
Oyco was caught in the act attending to his charcoal pit, and in possession of assorted natural grown forest tree species of different sizes and dimensions without any legal authorization or documents or permit.
Rojo said the continued and unabated buying and selling of lands among occupants in Salvador Benedicto to rich and powerful individuals from Bacolod City and other parts of the province is one of the more pressing crucial issues about NNNP.
“We cannot allow any industrial development and infrastructure program to exist in the NNNP, which is clearly a violation of the Nipas Act or in any portion of the remaining forests of Negros that could render irreversible destruction to the forest ecosystem,” he added.
