Loggers in the Philippines are feeling the pinch in the wake of a total logging ban that took effect in February 2011, according to Inquirer Mindanao.
The ban, which covers natural and residual forests, was first implemented in order to help safeguard the country's environment. President Benigno Aquino III said natural disasters caused by deforestation resulted in 36 deaths in 2010 in his country.
However, now the ban is costing thousands of Philippine workers their jobs. One major employer, Surigao Development Corporation, laid of about 1,200 workers with the closure of its veneer and plywood plants. About 5,000 workers lost their jobs in the logging sector near Butuan City, and the Richmond Plywood Corporation said it might lay off an additional 1,000 workers. The layoffs have sent local governments and support organizations scrambling to help. Meanwhile, logging industry leaders claim illegal loggers persist.
