Environmental Watchdog Sounds Alarm Over Ecological Crisis, Links Recent Deadly Floods to Deforestation
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| Panoramic vista of the North Negros Natural Park from the mountaintop park office. Rolling hills carpeted in lush greenery stretch to the horizon, a breathtaking display of Negros' natural beauty./ Rappler |
Bacolod City, Negros Occidental – The Northern Negros Natural Park (NNNP), a 71,000-hectare biodiversity hotspot revered as the “Lung of Negros,” is teetering on the brink of ecological collapse due to unchecked land conversion and aggressive upland development, environmental advocates warned this week. The Group of Environmental Socialists (GOES), a coalition of scientists and activists, has urgently called on the national government to intervene, linking the park’s degradation to catastrophic flash floods that displaced thousands in northern Negros Occidental last December.
Designated as a protected area under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS), the NNNP spans seven cities and multiple municipalities, serving as a critical watershed and home to endangered species like the Visayan spotted deer, Negros bleeding-heart pigeon, and over 100 endemic plant species. However, decades of illegal logging, agricultural encroachment, and recent land-use changes for commercial plantations and residential developments have stripped vast swaths of its forest cover. Satellite data analyzed by GOES reveals that over 30% of the park’s primary forests have been lost since 2010, with deforestation rates accelerating sharply in the past five years.
“The NNNP is not just a park—it’s the lifeblood of northern Negros,” said Randy James Rojo, GOES adviser and a prominent ecologist. “When you replace forests with sugarcane fields or subdivisions, you’re not just killing trees. You’re dismantling an ecosystem that regulates our climate, prevents floods, and sustains livelihoods.”
Flash Floods: A Harbinger of Disaster
The warning follows devastating floods that struck northern Negros Occidental on **December 22 and 27, 2024**, submerging communities in Silay, Victorias, Cadiz, Sagay, EB Magalona, and Manapla. Cadiz City bore the brunt of the disaster, with torrential rains triggering waist-deep floods that trapped nearly 2,000 residents. Rescue teams worked through the night to evacuate families stranded on rooftops, while farmlands and infrastructure suffered millions of pesos in damage.
Environmentalists argue the floods were not merely a result of extreme weather but a direct consequence of the NNNP’s degradation. “Forests act like sponges—they absorb rainfall and release it slowly. When you clear those forests, rainwater rushes downhill unchecked, turning rivers into death traps,” Rojo explained.
Local officials and advocacy groups allege that large-scale land conversion, often facilitated by ambiguous land titles and lax enforcement, lies at the heart of the crisis. Vast tracts of the NNNP’s buffer zones have been converted into sugarcane plantations, pineapple farms, and even gated residential communities marketed as “upland retreats.” In 2023 alone, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) recorded 42 illegal land-clearing incidents within the park, though critics claim enforcement has been inconsistent.
“The DENR issues permits for ‘development’ without assessing long-term ecological impacts,” said Maria Lourdes Sombrio, a Silay-based environmental lawyer. “We’ve seen ancestral lands grabbed, rivers silted, and wildlife habitats bulldozed—all in the name of progress.”
### **Call for Accountability**
GOES has formally petitioned Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Lozaga to launch a comprehensive investigation into violations of the NIPAS Act within the NNNP. The group is demanding immediate action, including:
1. **A moratorium on new land conversion permits** within the park and its buffer zones.
2. **Criminal charges against illegal loggers and land grabbers**, including complicit local officials.
3. **Restoration programs** to replant native tree species in denuded areas.
4. **Strengthened partnerships with indigenous communities**, whose ancestral domains overlap with the park.
Secretary Yulo-Lozaga has yet to issue a public response, but DENR Undersecretary Carlos David acknowledged the concerns in a press briefing Thursday, stating, “We are prioritizing a review of all permits granted in the NNNP. Environmental protection cannot be sacrificed for short-term gains.”
### **Local Communities: Caught in the Crossfire**
For residents like Juan Delgado, a farmer in Cadiz’s Barangay Daga, the crisis is deeply personal. His rice fields were destroyed in the December floods, leaving his family dependent on relief aid. “We’ve been begging officials to stop the logging uphill, but no one listens,” he said. “Now we’re paying the price.”
Indigenous leaders from the Bukidnon and Ata tribes, who have stewarded parts of the NNNP for generations, also warn that their voices are being silenced. “Our sacred sites are being desecrated. The land is crying out, and so are we,” said Datu Makadingding, a tribal chieftain in Salvador Benedicto.
Economic Pressures vs. Ecological Limits
The tension between economic development and environmental preservation is palpable. Negros Occidental, a province heavily reliant on agriculture, faces pressure to boost productivity amid rising poverty rates. Some local officials defend land conversion as a necessity. “We need jobs and investment. Sugarcane employs thousands,” argued Cadiz City Councilor Ramon Torres.
However, economists counter that unsustainable practices will ultimately harm the economy. “Destroying the NNNP might bring temporary profits, but the cost of floods, lost biodiversity, and ruined farms will far outweigh those gains,” said Dr. Alicia Montelibano, an agricultural economist at the University of St. La Salle-Bacolod.
### **A Race Against Time**
As the DENR deliberates, environmentalists are mobilizing grassroots campaigns to save the NNNP. Youth groups have launched reforestation drives, while scientists map critical habitats to lobby for stricter protections. “This isn’t just about saving trees—it’s about saving ourselves,” said Rojo. “If the ‘Lung of Negros’ dies, we all suffocate.” Lung of Negros" on Life Support: Deforestation and Luxury Development Trigger Ecological Collapse, Endangering Wildlife and Communities
Environmental Crisis Deepens as Northern Negros Natural Park’s Forest Cover Dwindles to 4.77%, Far Below National Threshold
The Northern Negros Natural Park (NNNP), a vital ecological sanctuary once teeming with biodiversity, is now at the epicenter of an environmental catastrophe, as rampant land conversion and unchecked commercial development cripple its ability to mitigate disasters and sustain life. Randy James Rojo, adviser for the Group of Environmental Socialists (GOES), issued a dire warning this week, linking catastrophic December 2024 floods in Negros Occidental directly to the park’s degraded forests, which can no longer absorb heavy rainfall. The crisis threatens not only human communities but also four critically endangered species clinging to survival in the NNNP’s shrinking habitats.
Boods and Forests: A Deadly Connection
The flash floods that submerged swaths of Silay, Victorias, Cadiz, Sagay, EB Magalona, and Manapla in late December 2024 were not merely acts of nature, Rojo asserted. “The floodwaters originated from the NNNP’s denuded slopes,” he explained. “Decades of deforestation have turned this once-lush watershed into a barren landscape incapable of absorbing rainfall. Instead of nurturing life, the park is now funneling destruction downstream.”
Satellite imagery and hydrological studies reveal that the NNNP’s forest cover—already a mere 4.77% across Negros Island in 1992, according to Swedish satellite data cited by GOES—has plummeted further due to illegal logging, agricultural expansion, and luxury developments. This figure stands in stark contrast to the 40% forest cover threshold mandated by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for ecological stability. “When forests vanish, rainwater has nowhere to go but into homes and farms,” Rojo said.
Watersheds in Peril: Lifelines Turned Death Traps
The NNNP shelters three critical watersheds that sustain northern Negros Occidental:
1. **Himogaan Watershed (Sagay)**: Supplies irrigation for 15,000 hectares of farmland.
2. **Sicaba Watershed (Cadiz)**: Provides drinking water to 200,000 residents.
3. **Imbang-Malogo Watershed (Silay, EB Magalona, Victorias)**: Vital for rice paddies and fisheries.
These watersheds, however, are being strangled by what Rojo calls a “concrete jungle” of high-end resorts, vacation villas, and commercial establishments. Developers, capitalizing on the park’s scenic vistas, have carved roads and buildings into protected zones, destabilizing soil and obstructing natural water flow. “These projects are marketed as eco-tourism, but they’re ecological sabotage,” said Maria Lourdes Sombrio, a lawyer with the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center. “Every coffee shop and swimming pool built uphill is a death sentence for communities below.”
A Legacy of Neglect: From 4.77% Forest Cover to Ecological Bankruptcy*
The NNNP’s plight is decades in the making. As early as 1992, satellite data exposed Negros Island’s forest cover at a shocking 4.77%, with the NNNP and Mount Kanlaon Natural Park accounting for most of the remaining greenery. Despite repeated warnings from environmental groups, successive governments prioritized short-term economic gains over sustainability.
“The DENR’s 40% threshold isn’t arbitrary—it’s the minimum needed to prevent erosion, regulate water, and sustain biodiversity,” Rojo stressed. “At 4.77%, we’re not just failing; we’re inviting disaster.” Today, the NNNP’s primary forests have dwindled to less than 2%, replaced by sugarcane monocultures, subdivisions, and commercial hubs.
Last Refuge for the Critically Endangered
Beyond its role as a watershed, the NNNP is a final stronghold for species on the brink of extinction:
1. **Visayan Warty Pig (*Sus cebifrons*)**: Only 200 remain in the wild.
2. **Visayan Spotted Deer (*Rusa alfredi*)**: Fewer than 300 survive, hunted for bushmeat and habitat loss.
3. **Negros Bleeding-Heart Pigeon (*Gallicolumba keayi*)**: A symbol of Negros’ forests, with fewer than 50 pairs left.
4. **Rufous-Headed Hornbill (*Rhabdotorrhinus waldeni*)**: Once widespread, now restricted to fragmented forests.
“These animals are ecological indicators,” said Dr. Helena Torres, a wildlife biologist at the University of the Philippines. “If they disappear, it means the entire ecosystem is collapsing.” The DENR has classified all four as critically endangered, yet enforcement of anti-poaching laws remains lax, and habitat destruction continues unabated.
The NNNP’s transformation into a playground for the wealthy has accelerated in recent years. Satellite images show sprawling resorts like *Sierra Vista Highlands* and *Cloud 9 Retreats* encroaching on buffer zones, while roads built for tourism slice through nesting sites of the hornbill. “Developers bribe local officials, forge land titles, and greenwash their projects,” claimed Datu Makadingding, an indigenous leader from the Bukidnon tribe. “They call it ‘progress,’ but to us, it’s genocide.”
In Cadiz City, where floodwaters displaced 2,000 residents in December, anger is boiling. “They build resorts uphill, and we drown downhill,” said barangay captain Rosario Almazan. “Our children sleep in evacuation centers while tourists sip cocktails in what used to be our forests.”
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### **DENR Under Fire: Calls for Immediate Action**
GOES has petitioned DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Lozaga to:
1. **Halt all land conversion permits** in the NNNP pending a full audit.
2. **Demolish illegal structures** within protected zones.
3. **Launch reforestation programs** prioritizing native tree species.
4. **Prosecute violators** of the Wildlife Act and NIPAS law.
While the DENR has pledged to “review” permits, advocates remain skeptical. “The DENR is complicit,” Rojo said. “They issue environmental compliance certificates to developers while ignoring scientists. It’s institutionalized hypocrisy.”
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### **Hope Amid Ruin: Grassroots Resistance and Legal Battles**
Communities and activists are fighting back. In Salvador Benedicto, farmers have blockaded roads to stop bulldozers, while youth groups plant seedlings in denuded areas. “We’re rebuilding the forest, one tree at a time,” said 19-year-old volunteer Anya Solis. Meanwhile, the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment has filed a Supreme Court petition to nullify illegal land titles in the NNNP.
“This isn’t just about saving trees or animals—it’s about justice,” said Sombrio. “The people of Negros deserve a future where nature and progress coexist.”
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### **A Tipping Point for Negros**
As the DENR drags its feet, scientists warn that time is running out. With the 2025 rainy season approaching, another round of deadly floods seems inevitable. For the Visayan spotted deer and Rufous-headed hornbill, extinction looms closer each day.
“The NNNP is a microcosm of the Philippines’ environmental crisis,” Rojo said. “We can either heed this warning or face irreversible consequences. The choice is ours.”
**"Logging Giant’s Legacy Haunts Negros: How a Century-Old Timber Empire Unleashed an Environmental Crisis"**
*Decades After ILCO’s Exit, Northern Negros Natural Park Grapples with Unchecked Land Conversion, Political Exploitation, and Failed Reforestation*
**Bacolod City, Negros Occidental – February 1, 2025** – The roots of the ecological disaster unfolding in the Northern Negros Natural Park (NNNP) stretch back over a century, entangled with the rise and fall of a logging behemoth that once dominated the island’s economy. Joan Nathaniel Gerangaya, head of the Negros Occidental Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO), revealed in an exclusive interview with Rappler that the park’s current struggles—rampant land conversion, illegal upland development, and forest degradation—are directly tied to the abrupt departure of the Insular Lumber Company (ILCO) in 1976, which left behind a scarred landscape and a governance vacuum exploited by wealthy elites.
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### **The Rise and Fall of ILCO: A Century of Exploitation**
Founded in the early 1900s, ILCO grew into the Philippines’ largest logging firm, headquartered in Fabrica, Barangay Paraiso, Sagay City. For decades, its sawmills devoured Negros’ old-growth forests, supplying timber to domestic and international markets. At its peak, ILCO employed thousands and shaped the province’s economy, but its operations came at a staggering ecological cost. By the 1970s, Negros’ forest cover had been reduced to skeletal patches, and ILCO’s sudden exit in 1976 left behind denuded mountains, eroded soil, and communities grappling with the aftermath.
“ILCO’s legacy isn’t just environmental—it’s institutional,” Gerangaya said. “When they left, there was no clear plan to rehabilitate the land or hold anyone accountable. That void became a breeding ground for exploitation.”
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*From Logging to Land Grabs: The CSC Debacle**
In the 1980s, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) launched a reforestation program to revive the North Negros Forest Reserve (NNFR), later renamed NNNP. Certificates of Stewardship Contracts (CSCs) were granted to local farmers and Indigenous groups, tasking them with replanting trees in areas stripped bare by ILCO. The initiative aimed to balance ecological recovery with livelihood opportunities.
But the program soon unraveled. Gerangaya explained that many CSC holders, lured by quick profits, sold their contracts to wealthy families, politicians, and developers. “These CSCs were meant for reforestation, not real estate,” he said. “Instead of planting narra or molave, the new ‘stewards’ planted sugarcane, coffee, and subdivisions.”
By the early 2000s, even before President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared the NNNP a protected area in 2005, developers had already carved roads and buildings into the park’s buffer zones, armed with fraudulent CSCs. “They’d show up with papers claiming they had rights to ‘develop’ the land,” Gerangaya said. “Local governments and the DENR were caught in a web of legal battles.”
Sugar, Coffee, and Concrete: The New Cash Crops
Land conversion accelerated under the guise of agriculture. CSC holders—now predominantly affluent landowners—cleared remaining forests to plant sugarcane, a crop synonymous with Negros’ economy but notorious for its environmental toll. Sugarcane plantations require heavy pesticide use and drain watersheds, while coffee farms carved into slopes exacerbated soil erosion.
“The irony is bitter,” said Dr. Teresa Alcala, an agrarian reform advocate. “These crops are legal, but planting them in a protected area violates every environmental law. The CSCs became a smokescreen for deforestation.”
Meanwhile, luxury resorts and vacation villas sprouted in upland areas like Salvador Benedicto and Murcia, marketed as “nature escapes” for wealthy Manileños and foreigners. Gerangaya noted that developers often partnered with local officials to bypass zoning laws. “Politicians approved permits, took kickbacks, and looked the other way while forests burned,” he alleged.
A Perfect Storm: Climate Change and Collapsing Ecosystems
The consequences of decades of mismanagement are now unavoidable. The NNNP’s watersheds—critical to supplying water to cities like Cadiz, Silay, and Victorias—are drying up or flooding unpredictably. In December 2024, torrential rains triggered deadly floods that displaced thousands, a disaster experts linked directly to the park’s loss of forest cover.
“ILCO started the fire, but the CSC system poured gasoline on it,” said Randy James Rojo, adviser to the Group of Environmental Socialists (GOES). “The DENR’s failure to monitor stewardship contracts turned reforestation into a land-grab free-for-all.”
DENR’s Dilemma: “Complicated and Entrenched”**
Gerangaya admits that resolving the crisis is “complicated and difficult.” Many current landowners hold seemingly valid titles, creating legal gray areas. Meanwhile, sugarcane remains a political third rail in Negros, where the crop employs over 300,000 workers.
“Do we prioritize farmers who depend on sugarcane, or do we demolish plantations to replant forests? Either choice has massive repercussions,” Gerangaya said. The PENRO has begun revoking fraudulent CSCs, but progress is slow. Of 1,200 contracts reviewed since 2020, only 43 have been canceled due to legal challenges from powerful landowners. Indigenous Communities: Guardians Betrayed**
For the Bukidnon and Ata tribes, whose ancestors have lived in the NNNP for centuries, the CSC scheme represents a betrayal. “The land was ours long before ILCO or the DENR existed,” said Datu Makadingding, a tribal leader in Salvador Benedicto. “Now, developers fence off our sacred sites and call us squatters.”
Many Indigenous stewards were among those coerced into selling CSCs. “They were offered pennies for land worth millions,” said Atty. Maria Lourdes Sombrio. “Now, they’re trapped in poverty while others profit from their ancestral domains.”
A Path Forward? Reclamation and Resistance**
Activists argue that saving the NNNP requires drastic measures:
1. **Cancel all fraudulent CSCs** and reclaim illegally converted land.
2. **Prosecute officials** who enabled land-grabbing.
3. **Transition sugarcane farmers** to sustainable crops like cacao or bamboo.
4. **Expand Indigenous land titles** to empower ancestral stewards.
Grassroots efforts offer glimmers of hope. In Sagay, farmers’ cooperatives have begun intercropping sugarcane with fruit trees to reduce erosion. In upland Barangay Patag, the Bukidnon tribe has replanted 50 hectares of native timber species. “We’re healing the land ILCO destroyed,” said tribal elder Bai Linao.
A Century in the Making, a Crisis for Our Time
The NNNP’s plight is a cautionary tale of corporate exploitation, bureaucratic failure, and the high cost of prioritizing profit over planet. As climate change intensifies, the stakes grow higher. “Negros is at a crossroads,” Gerangaya said. “We can repeat the mistakes of the past, or we can finally learn from them.”
For now, the park’s fate hangs in the balance—a monument to ILCO’s legacy, and a test of whether history must always repeat itself.
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**Key Timeline: The Rise and Fall of Negros’ Forests**
- **1900s**: ILCO begins logging operations in Negros Occidental.
- **1976**: ILCO exits, leaving behind ecological ruin.
- **1980s**: DENR issues CSCs to rehabilitate NNFR.
- **1992**: Satellite data shows Negros’ forest cover at 4.77%.
- **2005**: NNNP declared a protected area under President Arroyo.
- **2024**: Deadly floods linked to NNNP’s degradation displace thousands.
*With reports from Carmela Santos (Sagay City) and the Center for Environmental Concerns-Negros.*
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**Northern Negros Natural Park: Fast Facts**
- **Established**: 2005 (NIPAS designation)
- **Area**: 70,718 hectares
- **Critical Watersheds**: Himogaan, Sicaba, Imbang-Malogo
- **Endangered Species**: 4 critically endangered, 15+ endemic birds
- **Forest Cover (2025)**: Estimated 2% primary forest remaining
*With additional reporting by Lina Mercado (Cadiz City) and contributions from the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment.*
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**The Northern Negros Natural Park at a Glance**
- **Established**: 2005 (NIPAS designation)
- **Area**: 70,718 hectares
- **Key Biodiversity**: Home to 33 endangered species, 15 endemic birds, and 80+ rare plant species.
- **Economic Role**: Provides water for irrigation and drinking to over 1 million residents across Negros Occidental.
- **Threats**: Illegal logging, land conversion, mining, and climate change.
*With reporting from Karla Montinola (Cadiz City) and Diego Morales (Bacolod).*