By Leilanie G. Adriano
Staff reporter
LAOAG CITY—The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Ilocos Norte recently signed a memorandum of agreement with the Piddig municipal government to protect and develop forests in Piddig.
The Forest Land Use Plan (FLUP) is the first to be approved in the province.
Funded jointly by the DENR and the Piddig government, the FLUP is meant to alleviate poverty and hunger through an effective and efficient management, protection and sustainable development of its forests and forestlands in the upland areas.
“This means a lot for us. If you look around, there’s a lot of public lots [that are] underutilized,”said Piddig Mayor Eduardo G. Guillen in an interview following the recent signing of the FLUP held at RiverMount Hotel in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte on March 4.
Of the 14,000-hectare forest area in Piddig, about 11,000 has been identified as production area for possible plantation development.
Under the MOA, the DENR will lead and conduct different training workshops and field level activities in pursuing the preparation of the FLUP; assist in the preparation of the executive order for the members of the city or municipality FLUP technical working group; and provide guidance in the legitimization and adoption process of the plan.
As a counterpart, the Piddig local government unit pledged to allocate an initial P23 million for a period of five years.
For 2017, provincial environment and natural resources officer (PENRO) Juan de los Reyes said other local government units here have also applied for FLUP yet they can only accommodate at least four to five municipalities for now.
While preparing for the FLUP, Mr. Delos Reyes urged all local government units in the province to formulate their municipal land use plan integrating the three important component which include the following: disaster risk and reduction and management, integrated coastal resources and management, and forest land use.
He added that the DENR is ready to extend the necessary technical assistance and support in the formulation and approval of the said plan at the municipal, city or provincial level as it calls for strong and meaningful collaborative efforts among the various stakeholders.
A FLUP is a strategic framework for making land and resource use decisions for a given area. The planning process strives for balance among all forest values—environmental, economic and social, the statement reads.