Four suspected illegal wildlife traders including minors were arrested yesterday in Barangay San Rafael in Guagua town of Pampanga for selling monitor lizard (Varanus marmoratus) locally known as bayawak, after a joint operation conducted by the operatives of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the local police of Guagua in Pampanga.
According to Police Lieutenant Colonel Julius Javier, chief of the Guagua Municipal Police Station, their agents who posed as buyers and used marked money were able to buy one live bayawak worth P1,000 to a certain Raymond Sto. Domingo, 27, resident of Barangay Tokwing in Porac town and Marlon Dacani, 37, from Barangay Babo Sakan in Porac, both in Pampanga.
The suspects including the two minors who aged 15 and 17, residents of Barangay San Pedro in Sasmuan, Pampanga were immediately arrested while the team recovered from the possession of the suspect the marked money.
Laudemir Salac, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) in Pampanga said the DENR already filed charges against the suspects for violating Republic Act No. 9147 or the wildlife law while the two minors will be referred to the appropriate Municipal Social Work Development Office (MSWDO).
“Collecting, hunting, or possessing and trading of wildlife is punishable by a maximum imprisonment of one year and a fine of up to one million pesos, depending on the species, under the law” he explained.
He said the bayawak which was sold has already been rescued and will undergo rehabilitation in a wildlife center before being released back into its natural habitat.
Meanwhile, Paquito Moreno, Jr., executive director of the DENR in Central Luzon warned the public to refrain from catching and selling wildlife, and even eating its bushmeat to prevent the spread of another disease.
“If COVID-19 pandemic held a lesson for us, it’s that when it comes to wildlife, we have to live and let live,” he said, adding that consumption of wildlife is not just illegal but also exposes people to the dangers of catching and spreading zoonotic diseases.
Moreno expressed his gratitude to the public including the netizen who continue to be vigilant in monitoring and reporting wildlife and other environmental crimes. He also appealed to the public to report to the nearest DENR office or the official social media page and e-mail address any illegal wildlife activities.
Last year, the DENR Pampanga has also rescued 11 monitor lizards from two illegal wildlife traders in Lubao town.
Since 2015, DENR Region 3 has saved some 300 various wildlife species from illegal trade and filed criminal charges against 20 individuals. (-30-)
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- Parent Category: News & Events
- Category: Press Releases
- Published: 09 March 2021