When DENR anomalies become deadly

The devastation unfolding now in the aftermath of the two typhoons that just ripped through the country one after the other puts the spotlight on corruption, no doubt.

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But it's not just the theft of funds meant for flood control projects that's the culprit.

There's also massive and grand corruption at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Unfortunately, because the nation's attention is glued to the flood infrastructure mess, the scale of corruption among unscrupulous DENR executives has gone unnoticed.

But several industry sources reveal jaw-dropping and heart-wrenching anomalies committed mostly by executives in various local DENR offices who only want to enrich themselves without thinking of the consequences of their actions.

One such incident made it to the news just recently -a DENR official in Calabarzon, specifically the OIC of the DENR Community Environment and Natural Resources Office in Calaca, Batangas, was caught in the act receiving marked money from a complainant who alleged the officer was extorting millions in exchange for the issuance of a certificate that would declare a piece of land as alienable and disposable (A&D).

Land grabbing, rapid urban development

This is a legal loophole of sorts that opens public land for titling and use. And the fact that just about any local DENR official can decide on this is as dangerous as it can possibly be.

Worse, the danger is to the environment and the larger community.

The problem stems from unchecked classifications of A&Ds, which are public lands that are capable of being disposed of to qualified beneficiaries under applicable laws.