In the middle of everyone’s battle against COVID-19, a combined team of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Community ENR Office (DENR–CENRO) in Btac. Nuevo and members of the 552 Engineer Construction Battalion of the 53rd Brigade at Camp Hernandez, caught red-handed illegal cutters inside the Bulabog–Putian National Park (BPNP), a protected area in the town of Dingle, Iloilo.
Btac. Nuevo CENR Officer Glenn Del Norte, assisted by Atty. Francis Glenn Arceta of the Legal Division, filed a criminal complaint before the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office at C. J. Ramon O. Avanceña Hall of Justice on May 5, 2020 against the violators, namely: Donald Cordero, Kenneth Lazarito, Arlie Perra, and Erwin Gardoce for unauthorized use and possession of unregistered chainsaw, a violation of Section 7, Republic Act 9175 or The Chainsaw Act of 2002. All four accused are residents of Brgy. Tulatula-an, Dingle, Iloilo.
The violators were caught in flagrante cutting, gathering and clearing trees inside the park with the use of an unregistered chainsaw, STIHL 070 with Serial No. 427821113.
Section 7 of the Chainsaw Act imposes the penalty of six to eight years imprisonment with a fine of not less than P30,000.00 but not more than P50,000.00 for unlawful use of chainsaw. Moreover, the law provides that the chainsaw used unlawfully shall be confiscated in favor of the government.
A total of three round logs of Mahogany tree species equivalent to 1.87 cubic meter or 792.88 board feet were recovered from the area.
The said violators are also liable for facing a separate charge for illegal tree cutting. “A permit for cutting trees must first be secured from a CENRO who has jurisdiction over the area where the trees that will be cut are planted,” the complaint states.
“No virus threat could deter our men on the ground from doing their job. After all, protecting our environment from such criminal offense is linked to the protection of our health. Due to misuse of our natural resources, the world is now facing one of the greatest health threat mankind had ever experienced in this lifetime,” said DENR 6 regional executive director Francisco Milla, Jr.
“While we grapple to defeat COVID-19, we should not forget and rest our guards against unscrupulous individuals that took advantage of the crisis by perpetrating their selfish desire to gain unwinding the protection of the environment,” he added.
Enhanced Forest Protection is being pursued intensively by the DENR as it is one of the top ten priority agenda of Secretary Roy Cimatu. The Department integrates biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation and poverty alleviation through sustainable management of forest resources nationwide with programs such as the National Greening Program (NGP) and Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM).(DENR 6/PN)
