Squatters To Blame For Deforestation Says President Duterte

Squatters To Blame For Deforestation Says Duterte During Briefing

SQUATTERS TO BLAME – According to President Rodrigo Duterte, low-income members of society are to blame for deforestation.

Following the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses, thousands of lives were affected. Among the reasons, experts see as the cause of such intense flooding was deforestation of major areas susceptible to rainfall.

Meanwhile, during his recorded briefing on Tuesday, Duterte stated that poor communities in farms chop down trees to build houses. Based on a report from GMA, Duterte said:

Yong average Pilipino, they cannot afford a concrete house so halos lahat dyan, let us use the word being understood by all, ‘yang mga squatters, puro kahoy ‘yan. Bibili ‘yan including coconut wood

Squatters To Blame For Deforestation Says President Duterte
Image from: MSN

Additionally, the President said that the problem was people in rural communities are more likely to chop down trees because it was the only resource they can afford. “Saan naman sila kukuha ng semento?”, Duterte stated.

Furthermore, the President cited that the increase of population annually also increased the need to cut down more trees. As per the report, he said:

Magtatayo ng bahay and the temptation to cut the trees and bring it there to the lower land ay really to build houses kaya ‘di yan mawawala.

Along with this, Duterte also wanted to conduct an investigation on the alleged illegal mining and illegal logging activities within Cagayan Valley following the floods. The President said mining could possibly loosen the soil, increasing risks of calamities such as landslides.

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