by Maritess B.Beñas

 The Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force in the province was recently formed with the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources (PENRO) as lead agency.

In an interview with Ernesto Aton,enginer and PENRO officer of Abra, the Task Force had its first organizational meeting last week to map out a plan in the enforcement of Executive Order No. 23 which enforces a moratorium in the cutting and harvesting of forest trees in both natural and residual forests throughout the country.

The Task Force is composed of the PENRO as chairman, provincial director Cresencio Calina of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) as vice-chairman, and Police Provincial Director PSSupt. Amando S. Lagiwid; Lt. Col. Noel Baluyan, Commanding Officer of the 41st Infantry Battalion, and Lt. Col. Noli Anquilliano of the 50th Infantry Battalion of both the Philippine Army, and the Commander of the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) in Abra.

Specifically, the Task Force will undertake a massive Information Education Campaign through the print and broadcast media, and meetings in the municipal and barangay levels, and organize municipal task forces in all the 27 municipalities in the province.

The task force will enforce the directive that cutting and harvesting of forest trees in all Industrial Timber Management Agreements (ITMAs), Socialized Timber Management Agreements (SITMAs), as well as Community-Based Forest Management Agreements (CBFMAs) that are both natural and residual forests in nature are suspended.

Aton clarified, however, that tenured forestlands are not covered in the EO 23. He said that there are only two CBFMAs in the province and that these are excluded from the suspension order.These are the tenured forestlands in Brgy. Sto. Tomas, Manabo and Brgy. Layugan, Bucay. He explained that these CBFMAs are planted with gemelina trees by the CBFMA holders themselves and are not considered natural forests nor residual forests in nature. (JDP/JBS-PIA CAR,Abra)