Caraga police goes zero tolerance vs illegal logging

Wednesday 25th of July 2012

BUTUAN CITY, July 25 (PIA) -- Police authorities in Caraga Region have conducted a coordinating conference with other agencies involved in the implementation of Executive Order 23, or the total log ban.

This was developed to strengthen the cooperation between the regulatory body, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the enforcement arm, the Philippine National Police (PNP), to stay focused on the task at hand.

As a result, an operation was launched against illegal logging activities that resulted in the confiscation of several logs of different species, giving a strong message that the PNP will not tolerate any form of violation against the environment.

On July 19, 2012, three separate operations were done. The first operation was at Barangay Sta. Fe Esperanza, Agusan del Sur where PNP elements from Agusan del Sur Police Provincial Office led by Provincial Director Police Senior Superintendent Glenn De La Torre together with elements from the regional public safety battalion under Police Senior Superintendent Ernesto Flores confiscated 149 pieces lauan flitches.

The same team conducted a second operation with personnel from Talacogon Municipal Police Station, together with DENR and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC). They confiscated some 300 round logs of mixed dipterocarp species at Barangay Sta. Inez, San Luis Agusan del Sur.

On the other hand, in Barangay Lingayao, Las Nieves, Agusan del Norte, joint elements from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) led by Lt. Salvador and Agusan del Norte Public Safety Company led by Police Senior Inspector Nelmida, elements from 13th RPSB and Las Nieves Police Station led by Police Inspector Cordano were able to recover 127 cut flitches of assorted sizes and mixed species of hardwood with estimated volume of 10,000 board feet that were concealed/covered with soil to avoid detection.

During the past week, an aggregate volume of 80,322 board feet of logs with corresponding market value of P771,000 was successfully confiscated by PNP.

Police Chief Superintendent Reynaldo Rafal, Caraga police director, stressed that these accomplishments would not be made possible without the active support of the community that provides the operating troops with vital and real time information from the ground. (RER/NCLM/PO1 Ryan C Cagula, PNP-13/PIA 13-Caraga)