HADJI MALIK PANGANDAMAN Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Offi cer (PENRO) del Sur, ARMM

adji Malik Pangandaman is the Provincial Environment Hand Natural Resource Offi cer (PENRO) of under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). As a government functionary, he is very conscious of his agency’s mandate and how this is challenged by the context of the Autonomous Region of Muslim or ARMM. While there is the DENR structure operating in the national government, its translation in the ARMM is an evolving adaptation and re- defi nition, especially in how forests and watersheds are utilized and valued for their ecological services.

His administrative jurisdiction covers Lanao, the second largest lake in the , which still has substantial forest cover on the eastern side. PENRO Pangandaman admits though that this is being reduced as logging continues in the area, even with the issuance of national directives banning logging in the area and the presidential proclamation of Lake Lanao as a protected watershed reservation in 1992.

Th e Maranao, or people of the lake, for generations have bound their identity to Lake Lanao. Lake Lanao has a surface area of 357 square kilometers with a maximum depth of 112 meters. At

Lanao as a watershed With trees planted along college drives as a student 1970s logged in areas outside of the watershed (such as in Bambaran in as (such watershed the of outside areas in logged 1970s the since operating concessions large the and continued, logging But watershed. proclaimed the within harvesting tree for issued permits According to Pangandaman,PENRO from that time on there were no the Lake Lanao watershed area. in permitstimber-cutting of forms all and permits, gratuitous private Private Land Timber Permits, Timber Production Sharing Agreements, was operationsof and issuance the stop to 30 DENR the thatdirected issued No. Order Memorandum Presidential 1992, August 14 by area (Presidential Memorandum Order No 421, 25 March 1992). And develop a plan for the development and management of this watershed and Protection andformulate to created was Council) Watershed the (or Council Development Lanao Lake 1992). the February month, following 26 The 871, No Proclamation (Presidential hectares 180,460 covering and reservation watershed protected a as declared of Lanao crisis del Sur province. By the next month, powerthe Lake Lanao area was the the totask force and recommended the protection of the remaining cover solutions long-term headed DENR andThe January(Memorandum1992). 14 NoOrder 414, short- identify to created was Mindanao in crisis power the on force task presidential January,Watershed.a InLanao Lake the for year critical a was 1992 steadily flowing to its outlet, River. the Agus the volume of the lake, with a daily average of nine million cubic meters tributary streams and creeks. These main sources of watercontribute to the and and Taraka,Gata, Ramain, of Municipalities the from rivers major four the the are lake of the of sources water natural ancient The world. 19 the of one as considered also is Lanao Lake living there. powerdaily. electric of people theMW forIt powerhouse, not a but is 727.35 generating National(NPC), PowerCorporationthe of plants power hydro six the ItsuppliesMindanao. in power electric of source safest and cheapest the also is cages, Lanao Lake fish fields. rice mosques, and fishponds, houses, their built Maranaos the lakeside, the 727.35 MWofelectricpower daily. of the National Power Corporation (NPC), generating plants power hydro six the supplies It Mindanao. in is also the cheapest Lanao and safest source of electric power Lanao. Lake to identity their bound have generations, for lake, the of people or Maranao The

71 Forest Faces Lanao as a watershed 72 Forest Faces Lanao as a watershed The century-oldhousesofLanaoshowthegreatcraft,culturalandnaturalbeautyapeopletheirland licenses, contracts, or agreements ofany kind. timber concessions, forest all nullifying and canceling by ban log in 2001. RA 9054 requires the revoked regional government to enforce not a total were permits logging these why asked questions were there and logging unabated the over dismay expressed 2004 December in inquiry senate A DENR-ARMM. by issued licenses timber have to claiming are companies Wood 2001. in ARMM expanded thegoverning law the 9054, Act enactment Republic of But where administrative confusion is complicating the matter is the Lake Lanao watershed. are focused on the implementation of the management plan for the control and supervision, and together with the Council, their tasks administrativein is DENR-ARMM the under now job main His industry. logging the entered who graduates forestry of batch a of He took up forestry along with his brother-in-law and they were part theirwere licenses have notstopped; now expired. and Wao) until their timber license agreements expired. Thus, they Industry, and the Mindanao Association ofElectric Cooperatives. and Commerce of Chamber Philippine Movement, Lanao Lake Forces of the Philippines, ARMM, Mindanao State University, Save presidential the theArmed and Vice-Chair, Councilas Chair, as theNPC DENR comprise: members 1992 council The Council. the the and ARMM of because DENR- to belongs supervision administrativetheproclamations, that said Pangandaman PENRO but ARMM, to belongs area Lanao Lake Politically,the their with income coming from forest protection and operating, reforestation funds. actively is that sector management forest and the mines only is it that contends Pangandaman and PENRO geosciences). areas, protected management, management, land environmental management, (forest government in the national bureaus different the mirroring created was bureaucracy DENR was not devolved in the and ARMM a parallel government 1 batchmate-drivers are now dead, except for himself and another driver another and himself for except dead, now are batchmate-drivers former batch.his Alltheir recruited in them This of 20 thatinformed us driver truck licenses. driver’s have even not did whom of most drivers, the hiring responsiblefor was who ARMM, Customsin of Bureau the of been tipped off. One of theoperators bigger in City was an official all have these as points, security the all through unchecked pass allowed road was avoided and tertiary roads were used. Thelog-bearing trucks are main The day. a trips two make can trucks these of travel. Each of hours seven to six truck each takes It members. MILF were recruited Drivers arms. long-barreled with men five of force security a having truck each General Santos City. They traveled in convoys of four or five vehicles, with Sur or in Cagayan de Oro City. Sometimes they also dropped off thelogs at del Davao Digos, Hagonoy, in compound warehousetwo-hectare a were lauan (locally named ulayo) and apitong. At that time, the drop-off points the area. Thelogs were hardwood species, usually red from 1995-1999, picking up thelogs from Pantar and Balo-i, just behind logs explained transportedto us these how they of operated. He driver used to truck drive formerthese 10-wheeler a trucks interview, related a (In clearance to last August, the mayors.” heissued the passage Energy of Department the to transferred was Reyes Secretary DENR Before areas. other and Oro de Cagayan to going route this practical only because the is province, the through passage a was requested tree the planter what so ban, log total a declared Norte del Lanao example, in problem to Forthrough. the pass must trucks thattheprovinces other and Bukidnon is passage which given ARMM, are of outside they dispose when and transport comes profit (real) the but lands private in harvesting tree allows ARMM military. the by granted was clearance plantersfor tree by that“therequest said Recently, PENRO of the area,” states. PENRO development the handling of not capable are financially they technically, but (authority), main the are they thinks government national the “maybe Council, the of management the to relation in And logging. of beneficiaries themselves are Council the of members Pangandaman PENRO saysthat thecreatesthisof some problem,a as Some reforestationinthewatershedwithmahogany(Swieteniamacrophylla)

73 Forest Faces Lanao as a watershed 74 Forest Faces Lanao as a watershed lumber fromasfarIligan? Thatisnotcommonsense.” to cut? And when you build your house, you will have to use not told being and there, living are you if imagine you Can them. to belong areas these that know they areas, these in living people these Then, area. this from wood the get to pay will Butuan and Oro de Cagayan as far as from “People h frs cvr Te rbe hr i hw hs a come about. can this how is here problem The cover. forest the forest cover is down.going “I think there is still to a maintainneed PENRO shared his thoughts on the future as he acknowledges that lake.” implementand thereforestation theof eastern the side in projects area rehabilitation the establish NPC, the of thinking That’s the lands. private their in trees plant to farmers encouraging is NPC The properties. their over fighting are they and ownedprivately is For him, “the real problem is on the western side as most of the area is intact.” comes to the eastern part. Theplace is still notbarren and the forest it when problems are there believe I but reforestation project, the implementationtheirof in side westernthe selecting for know basis the don’t “I continue. activities logging major the where and also watershed, the maintaining for critical most is side eastern the but lands, private in mostly and side western the in projects because they are mandated,” he says. TheNPC is undertaking these projects reforestationconducting and reports submitting is NPC “The reforestation. finance to used be to is generation power for collect they fees the of NPC’s portion a whereby certificate, environmental the compliance its in of conditions the of part one is is and responsibility reforestation that too projects.” reforestation understands existing He no are there getting “because is Lanaoreduced Lake around cover forest the that aware is He to difficult control within their people vicinity.” is it and houses, their the building for gather materials People nearest poaching. is there watershed the within and cutting, illegal much that also is there stated but protection, forest PENRO is “there situation, current the about asked When still alive wants andnever to this do job again.) be to lucky stolethecargo.is stoppedHegroupshethetruckssaysand who is now in Cebu. They were all killed during ambushes when rival of people because there is always that frustration. In the lowland the In frustration. that always is there because people of some valued. determine hard to attitudethe understand. very not is Thus, forest, it did a and preserving of understood importance the fully understood “Some not was reservation watershed protected a as Lanao Lake of declaration thethat thinks PENRO happened ofthese toplans? all Whatanothermanagement forestplan. Director, Project also and was prepared in there2004-2005 by a people’s organization where he was as the developed, Council minimal participation in its formulation. the He recalls a previous plan that watershed plan government’s the management of integrity the questions also He in the forest onceother opportunities emerge. in this formerPeople (kaingin). abandonlivelihood their activities engaged are people few a only So families. their for businessmake to transferring people many so are there But cut. just they burn, and burning is not viable because this area is always wet. They don’t Very few people are involved in kaingin, as kaingin involves burning, kaingin is not the problem. There is not much kaingin in thisplace. thattheprovince. in But our believe inforest, I addressing logging in sincere really sincere, is governmentnational “Every loss. cover people the on focus doing government’s national the questions He from the different heretrees within the watershed.” take and use will area the around people the of majority the case, Ifthethat is logging. consideredcommercialization already thatis far as ? That is notcommon sense. Whatdiscourages us is the as from lumber use to have will And you house, your cut? build to you when not told being and there, living are you if imagine you Can them. to belong areas these that know they areas, in these living people the For area. this from wood the get to pay will for their siblings. People from as far as Cagayan de Oro and Butuan family, their for income their establish to want They living. a earn to order in materialsforest utilize to need lake the aroundPeople as he does not see this as strategicreducingforestin as this see not does he as kaingin Organic Act.” this of approval the after years (30) thirty until renewed be not shall and voided, the or government nullified nationalherebycancelled,thisAct,are and of the date of Governmentas Regional or government central the by granted whatsoever nature or kind any of agreements or contracts licenses, timber concessions, Forest The forest reserves shall not be subjected operationstologging of any nature or kind.reiterated. hereby are reserves forest as region autonomous the within watersheds all naturaland forestsor growth old all declaring government nationalcentral or he tackles in Lake theofaPENRO Lanao. tasks daily And perhaps he theseneeds reminders of what greens. could be possible campus as the up lining trees so or 100 these in pride takes He ago. years 30 than more planted Nilo friend his and he that Forestryof College the along trees of rowthe us showed PENRO the forest and make aliving out ofthe wood.” the when in sleep to weather,them theof forfarm,some decide weather useful not is dry during So problems. their to response a seeking ingovernment anymorewith deal to not tendency a have people So . . . started even never it achieved, not was irrigation of promise The irrigation. better for clamoring are people ricefields, 1 Article 10, Section 5 of RA 9054 provides that “the proclamations issued by the by issued proclamations “the that provides 9054 RA of 5 Section 10, Article

75 Forest Faces Lanao as a watershed