Police, DENR arrest timber poachers in Dinagat

By Richele Bongato

BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 13 (PIA) - Police and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) operatives have arrested five persons  while attempting to transport about 5,000 bd.ft. of illegally-sawn lumber in the remote coastal village of Benglen in Libjo, Dinagat Province on Monday, September 9.

PENRO Agapito Patubo of Dinagat Province said the police were responding to a text message information about an on-going loading of undocumented lumber with an estimated volume of 5,000 bd.ft , by a group of men  in that fishing village when the police chanced upon them. The police also confiscated the motorized boat used by the suspects.

Suspects, all residents of the nearby town of Loreto, Dinagat Province brought to the police station but they were later granted temporary liberty pending the filing of criminal charges of theft and violation of P.D. 705 and unauthorized use of chainsaw by the DENR against them.

Patubo said DENR forest management personnel led by Nathaniel Racho have brought the seized lumber products and the motorboat at the PENRO compound for depository and proper disposition.

It can be recalled that during his visit in the province earlier, the DENR Undersecretary for Field Operations Demetrio L. Ignacio Jr. has challenged the people to protect the forest cover of the aesthetic island province of Dinagat to attract tourists that could further improve the local economy.

DENR Regional Executive Director Nonito M. Tamayo has commended the police in that province headed by Police Inspector Wilfredo Alarcon and PENRO Patubo for a “job well-done” in the apprehension of the illegal lumber. (NCLM/DENR-13/PIA-Caraga)