ENVIRONMENT Secretary Roy A. Cimatu ordered a review of integrated forest-management agreements (Ifmas) awarded to corporations in the province of Sultan Kudarat.
Cimatu’s order came in the wake of concerns issued by local communities about the alleged irregularities surrounding Ifmas.
The official wants to find out whether the contracts awarded to private companies were lawful.
“We will meet with concerned government officials and private companies because we want to know the reason behind the decision to award or merge certain contracts,” Cimatu said in a statement.
During a dialogue with representatives from the local government and indigenous-peoples (IP) group in Sultan Kudarat, Cimatu received various complaints, including questions as to the legitimacy of some individual and merged Ifmas in the province.
During the dialogue, the groups presented to Cimatu their complaints and the list of questionable individual and merged Ifmas, as contained in a provincial board resolution.
Among those who attended the meeting were Rep. Suharto Mangudadatu of the First District of Sultan Kudarat, some mayors and IP leaders from the towns of Bagumbayan, Esperanza, Kalamansig, Lebak and Sen. Ninoy Aquino.
Citing the provincial board resolution, Mangudadatu said the IPs suffer because of the “uprooting and destruction of their crops by companies that have been issued with Ifmas added.”
He said these problems have also worsened the peace-and-order situation in the province.
Ifmas are production-sharing contracts entered into by and between the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and a qualified applicant. Under such contract, the DENR grants the Ifma holder the exclusive right to develop, manage, protect and utilize a specified area of forestland and forest resource for a period of 25 years and may be renewed for another 25-year period.
The agreement is consistent with the principle of sustainable development and in accordance with an approved Comprehensive Development and Management Plan, and under which both parties share in its produce.
IFMAs are often used to establish or operate plantations, including forest plantations.