- Rachelle M. Nessia
CEBU CITY, April 15 (PIA) --- The
sweltering Philippine summer, made even hotter by the reported heat wave
caused by a mild El Nino, has put forests at risk of succumbing to fires.
Since January this
year, two incidents of bush fires have already hit two plantations covered by
the government’s National Greening Program (NGP), one in Oslob, Cebu and
another in Bohol island.
Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-7) Regional Executive Director Isabelo
Montejo said it’s harder to control the spread of fire during summer due to the
extreme heat.
Montejo appealed to
the community residents living near NGP sites to help the department in
protecting the woodlands by avoiding practices that will cause bush
fires.
“They should help us
in the protection of these areas. They shouldn’t just burn farm areas without
making the necessary protection measures to protect the plantation sites,” said
Montejo in a recent press conference.
The DENR regional
director is referring to kaingin, a technique practiced by farmers in clearing
lands by cutting down and burning plant growths.
He urged those living
in the hinterland areas to get involved in the measures implemented by DENR-7
in protecting forest fires.
DENR-7 Spokesperson
Dr. Eddie Llamedo said cigarette butts carelessly thrown around in grassy areas
near forests can spark bush fires.
“Campers and trekkers
should also be careful when cooking food in forested areas using outdoor
camping stoves,” he said during a recent Kapihan forum held by the Philippine
Information Agency in Cebu.
DENR-7 earlier kicked
off its NGP implementation in Central Visayas with a budget of more than P404-M
for this year.
President Benigno
Aquino III issued Executive Order 26 on Feb. 24, 2011 establishing the NGP to
reforest 1.5 million hectares of land while promoting a sustained environmental
awareness campaign in the face of the ill-effects of climate change.
(rmn/PIA7-Cebu)