The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Friday filed before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor of Palawan a criminal complaint against Ipilan Nickel Corp. (INC) over the massive indiscriminate cutting of trees in Brooke’s Point town. In May 2016, the DENR issued a one-year special tree cutting permit to INC as part of its mineral production sharing agreement (MPSA) with the agency. Last December, then DENR Secretary Regina Lopez cancelled the company’s environmental compliance certificate (ECC), rendering its tree-cutting permit invalid. But the INC insisted that the tree cutting permit remains valid since it had filed a motion for reconsideration on the cancellation of its ECC. Earlier in May, DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu served a show-cause order to INC over the massive indiscriminate tree cutting within its MPSA area.

Source: Manila Times July 14, 2017 13:30 UTC