Seven suspected illegal loggers apprehended in the Bulacan-Rizal watershed

 

Massive anti-illegal logging operation of the combined operatives of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – Community Environment and Natural Resources (CENRO) based in Guiguinto, Bulacan and the DENR regional office Enforcement Division, the 48th Infantry Battalion (IB) of the Philippine Army (PA) and the Angat Watershed Area Team (AWAT) of the National Power Corporation (NPC) recently resulted in the arrest of seven suspected illegal loggers in the boundary between Bulacan and Rizal watershed.

 

Rolly Mulato, head of the DENR-CENRO, said the suspects were caught while hauling illegally cut lumber flitches using horses and ‘kolong-kolong” in Mount Balabag and Sitio Pulang Lupa in Barangay San Isidro, San Jose del Monte, Bulacan and in Sitio Ilas, Barangay Makaingalan in Rodriguez, Rizal.

 

“The style of this individual is to illegally cut trees here in Ipo watershed portion of Bulacan and transport it down to a near village in Rodriguez, Rizal where they will try to sell it,” he said.

 

Mulato identified the suspects as Diego Agudes Esto, Marlon Inggo Keling, Armando Agudes Esto, Ian Hermosa Lagos, Ronel Asiong Cocoy, Melvin Alacha Caballero, and Apolinario Avener Jr. De Asis, all from Puroy village in Rodriguez, Rizal.

 

Isagani Navalta, chief of the enforcement section of CENRO Guiguinto said a total of 1,750 board feet of illegal cut flitches of lumber worth P61,250 including four horses, two multi-cabs, and a motorized “kolong-kolong” were also seized from the suspects.

 

The DENR appealed to the public to report any illegal activities in the forests and watersheds of Bulacan to save the remaining forests of the province.

 

The DENR is now preparing to file criminal charges against the suspects for violating the Forestry Code of the Philippines or Presidential Decree 705.

 

Earlier, five suspected illegal loggers were also arrested by the joint operatives of the DENR-CENRO, Baliwag in Bulacan, Philippine National Police (PNP) of Dona Remedios Trinidad (DRT) in Bulacan and the NPC-AWAT in the forested area of Camachin village in DRT during an anti-illegal logging operation.

 

The more than 6,000-hectare Ipo watershed is part of the much larger Angat watershed, which supplies the 97 % water requirement of over 13 million population of Metro Manila. (-30-)