INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—The government was able to cover at least 7.52 million hectares of forested areas in 2013, but not enough to cover the 8.28 million hectares of denuded forest area that year, according to a presentation of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) before lawmakers on Thursday.
During the budget briefing at the House of Representatives, DENR Secretary Ramon Paje said that when he started in the agency, there were more denuded forest areas than covered ones.
He said in 2013, there were 7.52 million hectares of forested areas while there are 8.28 million hectares that are still denuded that year.
Paje said since 2010, the trend that there were more denuded forest areas than covered ones has reversed.
In 2010, the forested areas reached 6.84 million hectares while denuded areas at 8.97 million hectares; in 2011, forested areas at 6.97 million hectares, denuded areas at 8.84 million hectares; in 2012, forested areas are at 7.19 million hectares while denuded areas at 8.62 million hectares.
Paje said they aim to close the gap in 2014 when they set the target of 7.95 million hectares of forested areas with 7.85 hectares of denuded areas.
The DENR projects 8.25 million hectares of forested areas with 7.55 million hectares of denuded areas in 2015, and 8.4 million hectares forested with 7.4 million hectares of denuded forests in 2016, Paje added.
“In six years’ time, we’ll try to reverse it. By 2016, we assure you that we will have more forest cover than denuded areas,” he said.
Paje said they were able to cover forested areas through the governments National Greening Program, which has planted 684,148 hectares of the targeted 1.028 million hectares since 2011 to June 2014.
He added that from 2011 to June 2014, the agency reduced illegal logging hotspots from 197 to 31, and closed all 19 logging concessions nationwide.
The DENR was also able to confiscate 27.9 million board feet of illegally processed forest products since 2010, and to file 1,294 illegal logging cases with conviction of 191 persons, Paje said.
In 2015, the DENR targets 7.2 million hectares of protected forest land and 31 hotspot areas neutralized, Paje said.
The DENR is seeking a P20.85 billion budget in 2015, or merely 0.8 percent of the proposed P2.606 trillion proposed National Expenditure Program.
At least P10.06 billion or 48 percent of the 2015 budget is for maintenance and other operating expenses, while P7.1 billion or 34 percent is for capital outlay, and P3.7 billion or 17.5 percent for personal services
The 2015 proposed budget is down 10.69 percent from the P23.4 billion budget in 2014, but Paje said this is because of completed projects.
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