Cotabato City, 05/21/2009-

On May 18, 2009, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DENR–ARMM) and the Municipality of Upi forged an agreement to implement Upi’s municipal Forest Land Use Plan (FLUP), with DENR-ARMM Regional Secretary Kabuntalan P. Emblawa, Al-Haj signing in behalf of his office and Mayor Ramon A. Piang Sr. for the local government of Upi. It was the third FLUP implementation memorandum of agreement (MOA) that has been realized to protect and manage Muslim Mindanao’s forests and forest lands. The first such MOA was signed between DENR-ARMM and Wao in Lanao del Sur; the second was for Lamitan in Basilan.

With the signing of the FLUP MOA, the local government can now take the lead in managing 50,000 hectares of forests and forestland, much of which need measures for protection, conservation and rehabilitation after years of unregulated use had degraded the forest cover. The headwaters of the Dimapatoy watershed, the main source of potable water of Cotabato City and neighboring communities, is located in Upi. The municipality has also been considered a center of agricultural investments in the province of Maguindanao.

On the same occasion, DENR-ARMM and Upi entered into an agreement to co-manage 20,000 hectares of land for community watershed and communal forest, applying the concept of Islamic stewardship of the environment. Much of Upi’s populace are Muslims from the Maguindanaon tribe. Under a co-management arrangement, Upi could later issue individual instruments or khilafa (stewardship rights), providing security of tenure to farmers, who could then engage in sustainable livelihood activities to support their families while still enhancing the ecological and environmental functions of the land.

“Seeing the FLUP implemented on ground has been my vision,” said Mayor Ramon A. Piang, Sr. Committed to save the remaining natural resources in his area and improve the water production of the Dimapatoy watershed, he sought assistance for FLUP formulation from USAID’s Philippine Environmental Governance 2 (EcoGov2) project in 2006. On the same year, a formal agreement sealed the partnership. EcoGov2 worked through the DENR-ARMM in preparing the FLUP, which was finally legitimized in 2008.

“The two MOA signing events are a step towards good environmental governance for DENR-ARMM and Upi Municipality,” said DENR-ARMM assistant secretary Allan Pagayao. He said through the agreements, they (DENR and Upi) now share responsibilities in managing the ARMM’s forests, as mandated by the Regional Sustainable Forest Management Act as well as the Organic Act that created the ARMM region.

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