TACLOBAN CITY- The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) here in the region stressed that there is still strict regulations being implemented in using chainsaws even if these tools came from humanitarian groups intended for the rehabilitation efforts after supertyphoon Yolanda.
Aside from the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP), there are still other international non-government organizations that also donates chainsaws reason why the PCA needs to trace all these tools to ensure responsible usage, said Thelma Remedio, officer-in-charge of the PCA province office.
Remedio stressed that only headless, uprooted and damaged trees can be utilized for lumber without the approval from PCA while a moratorium in cutting live trees is in effect to ensure that restoration of the coconut industry in the region will never be supplanted by mindlessly cutting trees for lumber or commercial purposes.
All chainsaw units should be registered first at their office together with the donor group serving as the saw owner/ operator.
“It is not expensive to acquire these permits, considering the nature of business which is humanitarian and non-profit, the NGO simply has to pay P1,000 to accredit their group and they can then travel the lumbers at any destination in the country; while they have to add P1,000 more for each chainsaw unit to register it,” Remedio explained.
The PCA had earlier disclosed that more than 33 million coconut trees were totally damaged due to Yolanda with a value of P16 billion.
To rehabilitate present plantations and restore local coconut industry, PCA then tapped universities to grow 500,000 seedlings (tumos in local term) with Visayas State University growing 400 of the said figure, 50,000 from Southern Leyte State University and 40 more from University of Eastern Philippines. (REGIN OLIMBERIO, Commuunitere)
