ZAMBOANGA CITY — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is hiring forest protection officers in a bid to strengthen the watch of the forestland of this city.
The DENR will initially hire 178 forest protection officers for this city’s west coast based on the representation of first district Rep. Celso Lobregat.
On Monday, Lobregat met with DENR and selected barangay officials as well as from the other concerned agencies to discuss the mechanics in the hiring and deployment of the forest guards.
The hiring is in line with the government’s National Forest Protection Program, which is aimed to strengthen protection mechanism of the remaining natural forest of the country.
“This is a program of the DENR,” Lobregat said citing the agency will be the one to pay the compensation of the forest protection officers.
Each of the forest protection officers will receive PhP8,500 monthly compensation and will render duty five days a week.
Lobregat has recommended that they will be divided into two groups to ensure the forestland is guarded every day.
The first group will render duty from Saturday until Wednesday and the second group from Thursday until Monday.
Lobregat said the primary tasks of the forest protection officers is to monitor and immediately report the presence of poachers “so that appropriated action” can be undertaken by the concerned authorities.
For the first district, the distribution of the forest protection officers are as follows: Pasonanca, 50; Baluno, 16; Dulian-Upper Pasonanca, 16; La Paz, 16; Labuan, 16; Limpapa, 12; Patalon, 12; Sinubong, 10; Rio Hondo, 10; Mariki, 10; and, Sta. Barbara, 10.
The forest protection officers will be hired from the barangay they will render duty since it would be easy for them to recognize the forest poachers, who are mostly from other places. (PNA)
