NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is looking at converting some 6,000 hectares of forest land into a palm oil plantation in Candoni, Negros Occidental, as the Consunji family forays into agriculture.

Dember Catipunan, Candoni town councilor and committee chair on environment, said the palm oil plantation would cost roughly P2 billion.

The planned palm oil plantation is estimated to generate around 3,000 jobs.  

The proposal to establish the palm plantation in Candoni town was initiated in 2010 but was not realized due to financial constraints, Catipunan told Rappler. 

The project has started with the propagation stage of palm oil and has cleared a parcel of land where these palms will be propagated. 

The palm oil plantation in Candoni town will run for 25 years and can be renewed for another 25 years.

According to Catipunan, Candoni was chosen as the location for the palm oil plantation due to its vast forest area compared to other towns and cities in Negros Occidental. 

He added that the Consunjis have entered into an Integrated Forest Management Agreement with the DENR based on the approved Comprehensive Development and Management Plan (CDMP).

The CDMP is a long-term plan submitted to the DENR that provides measures and considerations in developing and managing the area, including the harvesting and utilization of the produce. 

DCMI Holdings Chairman Isidro Consunji said in an interview in November 2022 that his family was already committed to invest in agriculture and has identified large tracts of lands in the Visayas and Mindanao. 

Consunji had also said then that their palm oil venture would be a “game changer” in Philippine agriculture.

Affected families

Several families living in the area where the planned palm plantation will be established expressed concerned about losing their source of income and homes.

Catipunan, however, said that the Consunji group would provide relocation sites for those individuals and families who will be affected by the project and assured them that the company would also employ them.

When asked about the total number of families that might be affected by the project, Catipunan did not disclose any figures.

“We will work with them closely and ensure they will be provided with assistance and livelihood options,” he said. 

Considering several negative impacts of converting forest lands to palm oil plantations, including its effect on the town’s biodiversity, water resources, and topsoil quality, Catipunan said the company would practice a “modern way” of agriculture, where alternative means will be used to lessen the negative impact of the project on the environment. 

“DMCI will conduct consultation meetings with all the stakeholders of the upland village of Candoni town for an information drive pertaining to the palm oil project,” Catipunan said.

Denial

In a letter sent to Rappler on Tuesday, August 15, DMCI denied the statements made by Catipunan regarding the involvement of DMCI in the palm oil production project. The letter was signed by Rebecca Civil, DMCI director for joint ventures and business strategy and development.

“For the record, DMCI is an engineering-based integrated construction company. We have no intention of venturing into the agriculture sector. Furthermore, we are not investing P2 billion in any palm plantation in Candoni or elsewhere,” the letter read.

Citing a press statement released by Marubeni Corporation in February, she said that the “Negros Occidental reforestation project is a multi-sectoral initiative of DENR, Japanese company Marubeni Corporation, the University of the Philippines Los Baños- College of Forestry and Natural Resources, and Dacon Corporation of the Consunji family.”

Marubeni earlier said that the area is for a carbon credit program and reforestation effort. “This will be the first effort to develop a carbon credit program through reforestation in the Philippines in collaboration with Secretary Loyzaga, DENR representing the public, private, and academic sectors,” Marubeni said in February.

“Marubeni will propel reforestation in Negros Occidental, the Philippines, and the framework of the carbon credit program,” it added. – Rappler.com