LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Oleoresin helped him fund his schooling and he hopes that at least 16 of his villagemates will provide for themselves by tapping said substance instead of illegally cutting pine trees.
Topdac of Atok, Benguet barangay captain Crosby Inyosan said that in the 1970s, oleoresin tapping was his source of income that allowed him to go to high school and provided food on the table.
Tapping oleoresin became a livelihood where he made at least P50 a week from the 50 kilos he extracted from the trees he tapped.
Inyosan said that it was a company called Pigris that bought his produce, used for varnish and cosmetics, that he farmed from the pine trees he tapped.
“I was able to get 50 kilograms a week equivalent to P50,” he said.
This time the village leader is encouraging his villagemates with no means to make a living, to go into oleoresin tapping.
“Instead of cutting pine trees illegally, why not go into oleoresin tapping,” he told Baguio reporters Thursday.
Inyosan says that it is through tapping that will stop illegal tree cutting in his barangay, particularly pine trees.
He said that oleoresin tapping will also reduce fires since there will be a regular monitoring in areas where pine trees are tapped.
“It will prevent incidents of fire because the trees will be monitored regularly,” he said.
Moreover, he criticized critics for saying that tapping will result in death of pine trees. “All the trees I tapped in my youth are still standing,” he said. “Unless they were cut,” he added.
And they used muriatic acid then to tap oleoresin which actually abuse the trees.
“The technology offered us will require a small cut on the tree’s trunk, which in time will heal,” he said.
Inyosan is reacting to a recent call from the Provincial Board to ban oleoresin tapping in all municipalities of Benguet.
This after Benguet Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (Penro) Julius Kullin expressed his opposition to oleoresin tapping, which served as basis for the Provincial Board in coming out with an ordinance to ban it.
Although two resolutions were enacted allowing oleoresin tapping in the municipalities of Bokod and Tuba, boardmember Jim Botiwey and his fellow officials are keen on banning such practice in a bid to protect the remaining pine trees in the province.
Kollin said a resolution was already crafted back in the 1980s that banned the practice. But he believes that a law is needed that will further protect and conserve pine forests for the present and future generation by banning pine tree resin or oleoresin tapping. However areas covered under concession ready for logging will be exempted.
Botiwey is keen on pushing for Kullin’s call and urged his fellow officials to approve an ordinance to protect the pine trees.
“I believe Mr. Kollin is trying to recommend that we should not allow harvesting resin in Benguet,” Botiwey was quoted in a local daily.
Board Member Florencio Bentrez, for his part, recommended pre-conditions should be imposed, such as planting 10 trees, before tapping oleoresin from one tree. Bentrez is from Tuba where a group has already acquired a permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to start oleoresin tapping since May of last year which will expire on May. But operation is yet to start. **PML
