Calamba City, Laguna - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources CALABARZON Region through the Conservation and Development Division and its Production Forest Management Section conducted a two-day online seminar-workshop intended for the Community-Based Forest Management  People’s Organizations (CBFM-POs) within the Region on May 25-26, 2022. 

The seminar-workshop aimed to equip and train the participants to implement Environment and Natural Resources laws. Assistant Regional Director for Special Concerns Jose Elmer C. Bascos said “ang ating mga POs ay katuwang natin sa Environmental and Natural Resources Law Enforcement at sila naman ang nasa site o area, sila rin ang ating guardian sa lugar.”

ARD Bascos added that under the CBFM Agreement between DENR CALABARZON and the POs, they (POs) are responsible for the protection, rehabilitation, and conservation of the natural resources in the (CBFMA) area with assistance from the government. 

In addition, the two-day activity strengthened the responsibility of the learners to protect the forestland within their area against illegal activities such as illegal logging, unauthorized extraction of forest products, kaingin, forest/grasslands fires and other forms of forest destruction. 

The topics discussed were the Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines (Presidential Decree No. 705), Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (RA 9003), Philippine Mining Act of 1995 (RA 7942), policies/regulations related to harvesting and utilization of forest products within CBFMA, and basic forestry law. 

For. Salud Pangan, the Assistant Division Chief of CDD expressed her gratitude to the participants. “Kayo po ang aming mga partners sa pangangalaga ng ating kalikasan at kapaligiran hindi lamang sa kasalukuyang henerasyon kundi para narin sa susunod pa” For. Pangan said.

CBFM is supported under Presidential Executive Order No. 263 of 1995 also known as "Adopting Community Based Forest Management as the National Strategy to Ensure the Sustainable Development of the Country's Forestlands Resources and Providing Mechanisms for its Implementation"

Based on the DENR CALABARZON records, there are 46 CBFM-Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) Funded Projects, wherein most of these projects are the establishment of agroforestry plantations.###