A total of 17,832 board feet of lumber believed to be sourced illegally were seized Monday this week (March 21, 2011) in a remote village in Sarangani Province by operatives of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Army (PA), and the local government.
The contraband consists of 487 pieces of flitches (tablon) mostly of loctob (Ficus lauri folia Blanco) and lauan (Shorea sp.) species with an estimated market value of more than P500,000, computed at P30 per bd. ft. The operatives found the said hot lumber abandoned in a mountainous area of Purok Matablao in Barangay Lomuyon in Kiamba town, some 95 kilometers southwest of General Santos City.
No arrests have been made yet, however, the DENR is following strong leads provided by local informants wherein the perpetrators are reportedly identified with a local official.
In line with this, DENR Region XII Executive Director (RED) Alfredo S. Pascual directed Regional Technical Director Ernesto L. Lezada of the Forest Management Services to hasten the pace of the ongoing investigation.
"Usec Adobo (referring to DENR Undersecretary Ernesto D. Adobo of Field Operations) has directed this leadership to bring to court those responsible for violating Presidential Decree No. 705", stressed RED Pascual. P.D. 705, otherwise known as the Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines was amended by P.D. 1559, P.D. 1775, E.O. 277 and R.A. 7161.
Under the said act, cutting, gathering, and/or transporting timber or other products without license, or other forest products without legal documents required under existing forest laws and regulations carries the same penalties prescribed under Articles 309 and 310 of the Revised Penal Code, specifically for qualified theft.
The environmental violation came in the heels of the ongoing log ban with the enforcement of Executive Order No. 23 entitled "Declaring a moratorium on the cutting and harvesting of timber in the natural and residual forests and creating the Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force" issued on February 1, 2011 by President Benigno Simeon Aquino III.
Meantime, the confiscated lumber are deposited in the Municipal Motor Pool and in an area beside the Barangay Hall, both in Kiamba pending the conduct of administrative proceedings. Lumber, timber and other forest products which shall be found to be sourced and possessed illegally after due process will be forfeited in favor of the government and will be donated for use in projects of government with the Department of Education as priority.
Upon assumption to office of DENR Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje last year, he ordered his subordinate officials to put a stop to illegal logging within 30 days as one of his priorities. Trees absorb carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) thus reducing the intensity of global warming. Massive cutting of trees lessens our ability to cope with climate change not to mention the loss of home for our wild plants, animals and other organisms. (MCalungsod-Locsin/DENR XII) | 
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