ENVIRONMENT Secretary Lito Atienza yesterday admitted that corruption has been a major factor in the dwindling forest cover of the country.

"We know very well that in the past yung (illegal) logging naging sampu-sampera, nabebenta ang lisensya kahit sa lugar na di na dapat pinagpuputulan ng punong-kahoy kaya nakakalbo ang mga bundok natin. Nagkaroon na ng log ban pero tuloy pa rin ang circumvention of the law" Atienza said, referring to some practices in the past wherein illegal loggers could easily get timber license permits at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) with the help of crooked officials.

Based on records, the Philippines has lost about one-third of its forest cover between 1990 and 2005, with statistics showing that from the original 16 million hectares of forest land, it is now down to 700,000 hectares, with widespread illegal logging being pointed to as the main reason for the deforestation.

Despite government restriction on logging following several flooding tragedies that resulted in the deaths of thousands, particularly the 1991 Ormoc, Leyte disaster, illegal logging still continues today, with Atienza pointing to corruption as the major reason for the malpractice.

Statistics show that deforestation in the country is happening at a rate of 1,900 hectares a day, with some experts predicting that the country’s forest cover will be completely denuded by 2025.

Atienza vowed to rid his agency of corruption so that illegal logging practices will be curbed.

"We will definitely not allow anyone to gain any spe-cial privilege from DENR. We will make sure that our existing forest cover is not only protected but even improved, Atienza said.

Atienza exhorted all officials and employees of the DENR to work harder as a team in ensuring a cleaner and healthier environment for the people.

"We at the Department must pursue every endeavor that will protect our environment and our natural resources to the best that the laws intend. All we need is to enforce these laws to the letter," Atienza told them during the New Year’s call program of the DENR.

The environment secretary said that for this year, he will focus the agency’s efforts towards the curbing of air pollution and the protection replenishment of the present forest cover of the country which he said could do a lot in solving the climate problem.

"Climate change can be best prevented or slowed by reforestation. I am encouraging all DENR employees to be members of our tree planting brigade and let us all get involved with massive education, information, and communication efforts to also encourage everybody to do the same," Atienza said. – Job T. Realubit