Antique road project stopped over illegal forest clearing

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Culasi, Antique, under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), ordered the immediate stoppage of the Pandan-Ibajay Road project over multiple alleged violations of environmental laws.

In a cease-and-desist order issued on April 14 and obtained by Daily Guardian, CENRO Culasi said the project breached provisions of Presidential Decree No. 705, or the Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines.

The violations included the unlawful occupation of forest lands and unauthorized cutting and collection of forest products under Sections 68 and 69 of the law, as well as significant environmental damage.

The stoppage order followed a series of inspections and assessments that revealed major noncompliance with environmental regulations.

During a Jan. 29, 2026, inspection in Barangay Talisay, Pandan, CENRO Culasi officials found felled trees bulldozed into a creek within forestland.

A Geographic Information System assessment showed that about 8.94 hectares of forestland were affected by 557 meters of road construction carried out without the required permits.

CENRO Culasi said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) failed to secure a Gratuitous Special Use Permit (GSUP) and a valid tree-cutting permit for recent activities despite repeated directives from the DENR.

A GSUP is required for infrastructure projects traversing protected or forested areas.

The issue earlier surfaced during a Dec. 11, 2025, committee hearing of the Sangguniang Bayan of Pandan, where officials noted that the project was already being implemented without the required GSUP endorsement.

CENRO Culasi also said the project failed to comply with a 1:100 tree replacement requirement tied to permits issued in 2020.

An Environmental Compliance Certificate issued on May 21, 2020, covered the construction of a 7.807-kilometer gravel road.

A tree-cutting permit issued on Sept. 16, 2020, required a three-year maintenance period and strict replanting conditions.

“Despite these conditions, DPWH failed to comply with a tree replacement requirement, which prompted CENRO Culasi to issue reminders in June 2021 and June 2022, followed by technical conferences, site visits, and the drafting of a Memorandum of Agreement and Work and Financial Plan to facilitate compliance,” the order read.

Documents independently verified by Daily Guardian showed that at least four DPWH contracts worth a combined PHP 489 million had been awarded for the Pandan–Ibajay Road project since 2019.

Three contracts implemented in 2019, 2020, and 2022 have already been completed.

Construction under the 2023 contract was suspended on Aug. 8, 2025, due to unresolved road right-of-way issues.

Three of the contracts were implemented by IBC International Builders Corp., while one was undertaken through a joint venture between A.M. Oreta & Co. Inc. and Allencon Development Corp.

Both IBC and Allencon are owned by the Tan family of Iloilo, according to corporate records obtained by Daily Guardian.

A 2021 multiyear project profile form from the DPWH obtained by Daily Guardian showed the road project has a total cost of PHP 1.5 billion.

The project covers a 9.158-kilometer road involving the rehabilitation and concreting of a 1.258-kilometer existing local road and the opening and concreting of a two-lane, 7.9-kilometer road.

The project also includes the construction of slope protection structures, lined canals, bridge works, and the acquisition of road right-of-way.

The DPWH said the road project seeks to connect seven hinterland barangays in Pandan, Antique: Perfecta, Badiangan, Sta. Ana, San Joaquin, Napuid, Aracay, and Ma-adios.

Once completed, the project is expected to shorten the distance from the town proper to Barangay Sta. Ana to 10.8 kilometers.

Previously, residents had to travel about 30 kilometers from Ibajay, Aklan, to reach Pandan.

A show of ‘local courage’

Environmental group Amlig Alliance Antique welcomed the stoppage order, calling it a sign of “local courage where national institutions fell silent.”

The group earlier raised concerns that portions of the gravel road align with a 5,913-hectare mining tenement of Calbayog Mining & Development Corp.

Following the halt order, Amlig called for a Commission on Audit special fraud audit into PHP 295.9 million already disbursed for a 2.8-kilometer segment of the road.

The group also demanded accountability from officials involved and urged the Sangguniang Bayan of Pandan to withhold further endorsements until all DENR requirements are met.

Amlig further urged the DPWH to abandon what it described as an “industrial haul road” design and instead submit a science-based feasibility study tailored to the needs of the seven isolated barangays.

The group also called for mandatory environmental rehabilitation measures, including desilting waterways, stabilizing damaged slopes, and compensating affected farmers.

It also urged lawmakers to block a proposed PHP 400 million budget allocation for the project in 2027 while the stoppage order remains in effect.