LA TRINIDAD, Benguet July 04 – Some 1,288.66 board feet of assorted illegal lumber having a market value of more than P35,000 were confiscated by combined police operatives and intelligence agents during separate operations regionwide over the past two days.
In the mountainous area of Benguet, assorted lumber which were found abandoned were recovered and hauled in the different areas of Benguet in a successive Anti-Illegal Logging operation conducted in just a day on June 30, 2017.
A total of 136 pieces of assorted lumber; 34 pieces of pine tree slabs and 3 pieces of round pine logs with a total volume of 965.66 board feet worth P29,573.00 were recovered and hauled by the operatives .
In the province of Apayao, 20 pieces of abandoned sawn lumber (Deip Tero Cirp) with a total of 323 board feet worth P5,501.00 were hauled in Sitio Bayugao, Brgy. Turod, Luna, Apayao in the afternoon of the same day.
In the province of Kalinga, 60 pieces of different dimension sawn lumber was likewise found abandoned inside a makeshift tent along the national road in Sitio Sagideng, Barangay Taga, Pinukpuk, Kalinga on July 1, 2017.
Respective operating troops scoured the area to locate possible illegal loggers and/or the owners but turned negative while all recovered and hauled assorted lumber, slabs and logs are now under the custody of the concerned operating units for proper documentation prior turn-over to the DENR/CENRO.
The creation of the anti-illegal logging task forces in all provinces is not only a big boost to our regional anti-illegal logging efforts, but it is also a strategic move on the part of our partner agencies to further protect the remaining forest reserves of Cordillera.
Moreover, the police have been conducting regular anti-illegal logging operations and checkpoints in the region as part of our commitment to protect the environment.
By HENT
