BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Charges are being readied against three residents of Negros Occidental who yielded over 300 wild animals during an entrapment operation in Barangay Alijis here.
Ramil Cabale, 45; Dexter Belleza, 36; and Ruzzel Taghoy, 36, all residents of Barangay Minoyan in Murcia town, face charges for violation of Republic Act 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001.
Chief Master Sergeant Ramiro Gocotano, officer-in-charge of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Bacolod, said they are collating more documents from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources local office for the filing of charges against the suspects.
“We will file it this week once the supporting documents are completed,” Gocotano said.
Over the weekend, the three were released from detention after the 12-hour reglementary period lapsed.
They were arrested in Barangay Alijis here on Friday afternoon last week.
Among the wildlife recovered were Philippine orange tarantula, Orphnaecus sp., assorted centipedes and millipedes, juvenile Philippine sailfin lizards, Negros forest dragon (gecko), Bornean anglehead lizards, and north Philippine temple pit vipers.
An Asian palm civet, two Negros forest dragons, sailfin lizard and anglehead lizard were already dead upon retrieval. They were properly buried at the City Environment and Natural Resources Office-Bago grounds.
Investigators believed the wild animals recovered from the suspects were collected from Mount Kanlaon Natural Park.
Gocotano said the suspects agreed to pay P150,000 for all the animals – supposedly the asking price of the dealer for all the wildlife.
The surviving animals were released back to an undisclosed protected area in the province on Saturday. (With a report from PNA/PN)
