By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Negros-based environmental group Green Alert Negros (GAN) protested the recent re-shuffling of officials at the provincial and regional offices of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the Negros Island Region (DENR-NIR).
In a statement released by GAN during their rally in front of the DENR-NIR office in Bacolod City, yesterday, they called the dismissal of Andres Untal as Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) of Negros Occidental “a big loss to DENR in the province, particularly in pursuing issues on illegal structures inside the Northern Negros Natural Park (NNNP).”
“Since 2014, Andres Untal has been active in leading the issues of illegal structures inside the NNNP wherein prominent figures are involved, notably politicians, allegedly including DENR Undersecretary Art Valdez,” GAN Coordinator Rj Rojo pointed out.
Rojo recalled Untal issued 97 cease and desist orders (CDOs) against owners of illegal structures from 2014 to 2016, as part of his efforts to implement Republic Act No. 7586, or the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Law.
“[The] buying and selling of lands among occupants to rich and powerful individuals from Bacolod City and other parts of the province is just one of the pressing crucial issues about NNNP,” the group explained. “Untal understood and respected the provision of NIPAS, thus launched a war against illegal structures which were owned by prominent individuals in the province.”
“With Untal out as PENRO, all the efforts of the department, including that of the civil society organization and NGOs, to end landlordship in NNNP will be endangered,” they added.
Al Orolfo, DENR-NIR regional director, said, based on Special Order No. 2017-205, signed by DENR Undersecretary for Field Operations Philip Camara, the reshuffling of eight local field officers will take effect immediately.
Untal will be replaced by Edgardo Rostata, who was the head of Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Cadiz City.
Untal will still be working with DENR-NIR, however, no details were released as to his new capacity with the organization. Rostata, meanwhile, was succeeded by Renato Sabinian, who is also from the Cadiz City field office.
Also transferred was DENR-Negros Oriental head Charlie Fabre, whose new assignment is in Caraga Region in Mindanao. He was replaced by Viernov Grefalde, who was previously assigned at the Negros Oriental provincial office.
Bago City head Joan Nathaniel Gerangaya, who is now assigned at DENR-NIR, was succeeded by Concordio Remoroza from DENR-NIR, while Rosievel Dimatulac from the regional office is now the new head of CENRO in Kabankalan City.
Orolfo said the reshuffling of field officers in the region is part of the revamp of the agency’s organizational development./WDJ