IBA, Zambales—Around 300 upland farmers from two people’s organizations (POs) in Central Luzon became the latest beneficiaries of the revived Community Based-Forest Management Program (CBFMP), a forest-governance tool for which the Philippines has been recognized as pioneer in the whole of Asia.
According to Dir. Francisco Milla Jr. of the Region 3 office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the agency recently awarded at least 357 hectares of forestlands to upland farmers in Central Luzon in a bid to reduce poverty in rural areas and promote social justice and equitable access to forest resources.
The latest beneficiary groups were the Palauig Green Planters Association Inc. in Palauig, Zambales, which received tenurial rights to 106 hectares of forest lands; and the Digmala Tree Planters Association Inc. in Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija, which was awarded with 251 hectares. The CBFMP certificate, in both cases, was good for 25 years.
“The CBFMP entitles the POs to rehabilitate the forestland they occupy and develop it through agroforestry scheme,” Milla said in a news statement released on Friday.
He added that the beneficiaries of the program “can also develop in their area livelihood opportunities not dependent on forest products, and utilize the resources found therein, but subject to existing forestry and environmental laws, rules and regulations.”
Milla, however, hastened to explain that the DENR is “not giving land titles [for] forestlands, [but] only for alienable and disposable lands [A and D] such as agricultural lands and residential areas.”
“(The) tenurial instrument in the form of agreement is being awarded to upland farmers [only] as proof of their legitimate occupancy over the forestland,” he added.
Milla noted that the 300 upland farmers who would benefit from the agreement are also actively involved in the National Greening Program of the government.
Under the CBFMP, the beneficiary group assumes the responsibility of protecting the entire forestlands within their area against illegal logging and other unauthor ized extraction of forest products. They are also tasked to guard against kaingin or slash-and-burn agriculture, forest and grass fire, and other forest destruction.
The groups, whose members are deputized as environment and natural resources officers, are also required to assist the DENR in the prosecution of violators of forestry and environmental laws; observe all laws and regulations on forest management; prepare and implement a resource-management plan; and formulate and implement benefit-sharing schemes among their members.
The DENR, on the other hand, would ensure that the beneficiary groups have the exclusive occupation and use of forestland covered in the CBFMP, as well as the forest products found in their area.
The agreement covering the CBFMP areas are renewable for another 25 years, subject to compliance by the people’s organizations to the set requirements.
The CBFMP, hailed as a success in the Philippines in terms of ensuring sustainability of forest resources and equitable distribution of access and benefits to farmer-beneficiaries, has recently been revived by the government after a12-year hibernation.
Milla said that under the leadership of Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez, the DENR is set for transformation from just a regulatory agency “into a development institution that will provide livelihood opportunities, brings social justice and empower upland communities, especially the poorest among the poor.”
According to the DENR Region 3 office, there are now 116 CBFM agreements given out to farmers’ groups in Central Luzon. These covered more than 16,000 hectares of forestland and benefited more than 7,000 upland farmers.