P1.3-M ‘hot logs’ confiscated

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur -- The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is readying charges against the suspects involved in the illegal cutting of some PHP1.3 million worth of Mahogany trees in Barangay Langapod, Labangan town.

Israel Ivan Peralta of the local NBI unit here

told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) Tuesday the tree-cutting did not have a permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Consisting of 30,000 board feet, the illegally-cut Mahogany trees were already stockpiled along the roadside and ready for shipment when seized last weekend by the team of DENR, NBI, and the Philippine Army.

Details of the confiscation of the lumber was only released to the media Tuesday.

Ben Acana, provincial environment and natural resources officer, said the lumber--estimated at around 1,000 Mahogany trees--were cut from a five-hectare land whose “certificate of stewardship” is under the name of a certain Ordeniza from this city.

Acana said the buyer is identified as Charisa Bontilao, from Lanao del Norte province, who failed to present documents that prompted them to seize the cut trees.

“The hauling took us three days,” Acana said, adding the 10 truckloads of lumber were taken to the PENRO compound here.

He said the certificate of stewardship holders may only harvest the trees they planted with the permission of the DENR provided by law under Section 77 of Presidential Decree 705.