• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Following the issuance of a cease and desist order by the Environment Management Bureau 6, the Hacienda Asia Plantations Inc. (HAPI), which is engaged in a palm oil plantation project in the hinterlands of Candoni in Negros Occidental, has halted earth moving activities, according to Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson.
Lacson said HAPI has written to him that they will comply with the request of the provincial government for them to secure an Environment Compliance, as they stopped quarry operations, road construction, and other activities at its palm oil plantation site.
He added that he was informed by Environment Secretary Raphael Lotilla, who had spoken to the owner of HAPI, that he ordered them to comply with the necessary requirements.
While quarry activities and other earthmoving activities have been suspended, work at the palm oil plantation still continues, Lacson said.
The Negrosanon Initiative for Climate and the Environment (NICE), a local civil society group closely monitoring developments at the controversial 6,000-hectare palm oil plantation in Candoni, Negros Occidental, welcomed the decisive action of Governor Lacson following an online petition launched by the group on June 5, World Environment Day.
In support of the people’s clamor, Chair of NICE Wisdom Council and San Carlos Bishop Gerardo “Gerry” Alminaza called on the DENR to immediately respond to the people’s demands.
“We urge Secretary Lotilla and the DENR to come to Negros and listen to the voices on the ground—especially those who are most impacted by this plantation. Every day that HAPI’s operations continue, irreversible damage is being done to our forests, watersheds, wildlife, and communities,” Alminaza said.*
