Anti-illegal logging operations intensified

GUAGUA— The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), through its Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (Penro) in Pampanga, is intensifying monitoring and enforcement of environment laws in cities and municipalities here particularly on illegal loggi ng.

DENR-Penro officer Laudemir Salac said that they have apprehended various individuals and vehicles ferrying undocumented lumber in Pampanga in the past weeks. He added that the Penro is also on a strict watch on the use of chainsaws, charcoal making and people cutting roadside trees without the necessary permits.

The DENR here has been actively implementing provisions of the National Integrated Areas System (Nipas) Act .

Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said there will be no letup in the government effort to strictly enforce environmental laws and regulations designed to restore, preserve and protect the country’s rich environment and vast natural r esou r ces.

Apart from strict enforcement of environmental laws, Cimatu reminded his field officials of their duty to ensure the protection and conservation of natural resources, particularly the forests.

He ordered them to ensure the cooperation and support of the local government in their respective areas of jurisdiction in the DENR’s forest protection and antiillegal logging campaign. Cimatu said that regional offices will not get commendation for “hot logs” they have confiscated, but for their effort to prevent trees from being cut.

Salac said that the Penro in Pampanga is doubling its efforts as the province is the center of lumber trade in Region 3. The province is at the crossroads of the lumber supply chain from North Luzon. Pampanga alone has the most number of lumber dealers in the whole of the region.

“We have been doubling our apprehensions in the past weeks and we hope to send a strong message to illegal loggers and suppliers to follow our laws and procedures,” Salac told Sun.Star Pampanga.

Earlier, DENR trained partner agencies and officers on the application of the Wildlife Law. The DENR in a statement, said this is to strengthen its wildlife enforcement efforts by training DENR field officers and partner government agencies on the application of the Wildlife Law Enforcement Manual of Operations.

Arthur Salazar, assistant regional director for technical services, said wildlife law enforcement plays a crucial role in ensuring the conservation and sustainable use of wildlife resources, since illegal wildlife trade remains to be one of the primary threats to the region’s abundant biodiversity.

The DENR added that a three-day learning activity, held on September 11 to 13 at Azzurro Hotel, centered on the enforcement of Republic Act 9147, otherwise known as the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001.

The training provided participants with information on the standard operating procedures on monitoring, surveillance, confiscation of wildlife specimen, evidencegathering, case-building, and apprehension of law violator s.

The Nipas Law, fisheries enforcement protocol, procedures on wildlife permitting, wildlife handling and safety management, and the legal bases used for environmental cases were also discussed.