MALOLOS CITY—Sash factories in Central Luzon are now
under intensified monitoring by the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources due to reports that have accepting deliveries of illegally sourced
lumber.
This came as the DENR anti-illegal logging task force
seized about P70,000 worth of illegal
lumber in the City of San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan on Monday afternoon, May
7.
Following the seizure, the task force said they are now
preparing charges against a hardware operator and three other unidentified
persons for violation of the Presidential Decree 705 or the Forestry Code of
the Philippines.
The law which was amended by Executive Order Number 227
in 1987 not only prosecutes timber poachers and illegal loggers, but
individuals involved in the trade of illegally sourced lumber.
Joseph Mendoza, the intelligence officer of the DENR
Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force they have been monitoring sash factories in the
province and other parts of Central Luzon and Rizal province.
This is due to reports that sash factories and other wood
enterprises has been accepting delivery of illegally sourced lumbers.
“Our monitoring paid off,” Mendoza said in vernacular and
added, ”reports are now confirmed and we
have more reasons to further intensify our monitoring on sash factories.”
Among those under the monitor of the task force is
Sureluck Wood Enterprises located along the Quirino Highway in Barangay Gumaoc,
City of San Jose Del Monte.
Around 4PM on Monday, they monitored men monitoring
freshly cut lumber from an Isuzu closed van with license plates CSL 394.
The said vehicle is marked “Fruit and vegetable dealer”
and is said to be registered to a certain “J. Jimenez.”
“The driver and helper fled immediately when we
introduced ourselves,” said Mendoza in a telephone interview.
A total of 1,498.67 board feet of lumber worth P67,410
were seized upon verification that it was not backed with any permit, including
the one for transport.
Mendoza said they are still verifying the source of the
lumber but sources said cited three possible places, namely Isabela; Minalungao
in Nueva Ecija and Donya Remedios Trinidad town in Bulacan.
He said that the lumbers were cut by “carabao loggers” or
timber poachers.
“Timber poaching destroys our watershed especially the
Angat Watershed,” Mendoza said noting that it has been categorized as one of
the most highly critical watershed in the country.
The same was affirmed by Bro. Martin Francisco of the
Sagip Sierra Madre Environmental Society (SSMEES) based in the City of San Jose
Del Montte.
Francisco explained that the Angat Watershed not only
serves as the main source of Metro Manila’s potable water supply, it also
generates electricity for the Luzon Grid through the Angat River HydroElectric
Power Plant (ARHEPP).
“What is sad is the fact that there is a logging ban, and
yet, there are people who continue to act with impunity against the environment,”
he said but stressed that SSMES is happy with the seizure of illegally sourced
lumber.
He said that it should serve as reminder to other timber
poachers that the government is serious in its campaign to protect watersheds.
Meanwhile, Mendoza said they are preparing charges
against the the driver and owner of the closed van, along with the operator of
Sureluck Wood Enterprises.
He said that while Sureluck was given permit by the DENR,
they have received reports that it is receiving illegally sourced lumber, but
the task force has not luck until Monday.
Mendoza said that
in the past, they checked with deliveries at Sureluck and found no
discrepancies in documentations. (Dino
Balabo)