Source: Copyright 2006, Philippine Inquirer
Byline: Delfin Mallari Jr.
The weeklong antilogging operation in the Sierra Madre mountains in Quezon province yielded more than 117 cubic meters of illegally cut forest products.
Dubbed “Oplan Baykuran,” the operation that ended Friday also yielded one illegal band saw found deep in the forest.
More than 94 cu m of square logs, flitches and sawn lumber of the red-lauan and almaciga, two banned species, had been counted and were put under the custody of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Real town, said Jay Lim, program coordinator of Tanggol Kalikasan-Southern Tagalog (TK-ST).
“We still have some pieces to retrieve from the log pond in the upper parts of the mountain,” Lim said in a mobile phone interview from Infanta town.
“Most of the confiscated wood products belong to illegal loggers from the lowlands,” Nilo Tamoria, director of the DENR-Special Concern Division and leader of the raiding team, told the Inquirer on Wednesday.
Tamoria said the seized items were found in a big log pond in Sitio (sub-village) Mabilog in Barangay Pagsangahan, General Nakar town.
The raiders, composed of personnel from the DENR-National Anti-Environmental Crime Task Force (Naectaf), the military and TK-ST, also found an illegal band saw hastily buried along the banks of the Agos River in Mabilog.
On Wednesday, Environment Undersecretary Roy Kyamko, Naectaf deputy head, visited the sites of the operation and inspected the confiscated forest products.
“We will sustain these operations. This is just the first phase. There will be more,” Kyamko told newsmen.
Tamoria said another big stock of illegally cut forest products were discovered in Barangay Lagmak in the upper portion of the forest with an estimated volume of at least 70 cu m.
But he admitted that the operatives face the difficult task of retrieving the lumber from the said place which could only be reached in two days and one night of walking.
He said the illegally cut wood could not be brought out of the mountain without being noticed by government operatives and volunteers.
The multisectoral forces have been combing the Sierra Madre mountain ranges since a week ago in what could be considered one of the biggest anti-illegal logging operations in the area in recent times.
The massive operation was preceded by a reconnaissance by volunteers guided by an unidentified “informer” who tipped off the locations of several log ponds atop the mountain which is maintained by an illegal logging syndicate.
The forest products were hauled down by at least 30 log haulers or “magbubulaog.” The TK-ST paid the haulers using funds granted by the Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation Foundation.
Copyright 2006, Philippine Inquirer
About Tanggol Kalikasan
- Tanggol Kalikasan
- (Defense of Nature) is a non-stock, non-profit and non-governmental organization doing public interest lawyering in the Philippines. It has operated as an environmental law office for 17 years already. Tanggol works with national and international partners and networks and has its main office in Quezon City. It also maintains fully-staffed area offices in Alaminos City, Pangasinan (Northern Luzon Office) and Lucena City (Southern Luzon Office) and field offices in Lipa City and Baao, Camarines Sur.