MANILA – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has seized 34 sacks containing illegally collected stems of a threatened plant species used in making bonsai.
The collection, selling and transport of the Philippine bantigue (Pemphis acidula) is prohibited under Republic Act (RA) 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.
A composite team led by the DENR’s Philippine Operations Group on Ivory and Illegal Wildlife Trade, or Task Force POGI, confiscated the sacks of bantigue estimated to cost around P300,000 on Aug. 9.
The team caught the suspect identified as the 39-year-old Pedrito Fabros at a residential house in Barangay Umiray, General Nakar, Quezon province.
At least six bags contained freshly-cut bantigue stems while the rest contained dried stems used as raw materials for accessories and firewood.
Environment secretary Roy Cimatu said the recent seizure of valuable wildlife species only showed that the government remains resolute on its fight against poaching and illegal wildlife trade.
He added that the DENR will continue to go after wildlife traders who are pushing some wild animals and plants to the brink of extinction.
“We will continue to hunt for perpetrators who use the natural resources for illegal purposes and for their own selfish interests,” Cimatu stressed.
The DENR, through its Biodiversity Management Bureau, has already filed a case against Fabros.
Under RA 9147, the possession, selling and transport of bantigue is punishable by six-year imprisonment and a fine amounting up to P200,000.
The agency is also looking at the possibility of filing a case against Fabros for violating Presidential Decree No. 705, or the Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines.
Bantigue, a mangrove species, is listed in DENR Administrative Order 2017-11 as a threatened Philippine plant. It is also listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.
The plant species is commonly used for creating bonsai, a Japanese art of cultivating miniature trees in pots. (With DENR/PN)
