• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The public scoping for the proposed oil palm plantation project of Hacienda Asia Plantations Inc. (HAPI) in Candoni, Negros Occidental, will be held on July 3 in Barangay Gatuslao in the town.
The DENR-Environmental Management Bureau in Western Visayas posted the notice June 23, and said that public scoping “is an early stage in the environmental impact assessment process”, and is one of the requirements in the application for an environmental compliance certificate (ECC).
In the public scoping supervised by the EMB, a project proponent shall provide an overview of the proposed project to concerned residents and other stakeholders, gather issues and concerns and other relevant information, for the scope of work and terms of reference needed in the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement.
The DENR-EMB6 earlier issued a cease-and-desist order (CDO) against HAPI to halt its quarry operations, road construction, and other activities at its oil palm plantation in Candoni, pending an ECC.
The CDO was served June 13, following a letter from Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, who sought the EMB6’s intervention on plantation activities in Candoni.
Lacson, in his letter addressed to EMB6 director, Atty. Ramar Niel Pascua dated June 9, said that HAPI has failed to secure an ECC, which is “a critical document that ensures that projects likely to have significant environmental impacts undergo a thorough assessment and implement measures to mitigate adverse effects”.
In a letter of intent to Pascua dated June 17, Noel Aguirre of N. Aguirre Business Consultancy Services said that HAPI intends to “apply for an ECC…for its oil palm plantation project in barangays Gatuslao and Agboy in Candoni”.
Aguirre added that HAPI has been issued an Integrated Forest Management Agreement on Oct. 14, 2009 by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, granting it rights to manage 6,652.30 hectares of forest land in Gatuslao and Agboy…for 25 years with a possible extension”.
The project, with an indicative cost of P60 million, aims to establish a large-scale oil palm plantation, which is the first of its kind in Negros Occidental, the proponent said.
It added that in 2023, HAPI initiated groundwork in Barangay Gatuslao, including the establishment of a nursery for 870,000 palm oil seedlings sourced from Costa Rica, Papua New Guinea, and Malaysia. “As of May 2025, the project has created over 500 jobs, with 90 percent of the newly-filled roles occupied by residents from Gatuslao and nearby villages.” | CGC
