Hataman vows ax to fall on loggers

COTABATO CITY—Officers in charge of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) are now preparing charges against several individuals, including village officials, believed behind continued logging in Lanao del Sur that is blamed for many of the deaths in the December 17 tragedy that struck the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan.

Mujiv Hataman, acting ARMM governor, said the individuals were behind the continued transport of logs from Lanao del Sur. Authorities seized a total of 25 truckloads of logs last week, days after hundreds of people had been crushed to death by logs that massive flooding carried into highly populated areas in the two Northern Mindanao cities.

Hataman would not identify yet those facing charges, asking the Inquirer to wait for the actual filing of charges in court for the identities of the individuals.

He said, though, that the filing of the charges was a gesture that would show his administration wouldn’t spare anyone, including those perceived to be influential, in the campaign against logging.

An initial report released by Task Force “Sendong,” which Hataman formed to investigate logging in Lanao del Sur, points to VicMar Development Corp., a Makati City-based company, as the largest logging operator in the province since 1975.

VicMar, the task force report said, stored logs in a holding pond near Iligan City that unleashed the killer logs that did the heaviest damage to the city during the flooding there.

Reports suggested that influential individuals were behind the company, enabling it to proceed with its logging operation despite the imposition of a total log ban in the region by the two past governors of ARMM.

In addition to a total log ban, Hataman also issued a moratorium on the issuance of private land timber permits to shut the door entirely to logging in the region.

The Inquirer’s repeated efforts to contact VicMar officials through the company’s published number have failed.

Hataman said aside from identifying individuals or companies behind illegal logging operations in Lanao del Sur, the Task Force Ranao, which he tapped for the campaign, has also shut down seven sawmills in the province.

As in ARMM, illegal logging, among other activities, was also being blamed for floods and landslides that have become almost regular occurrences in two regions—Caraga and Southern Mindanao.

Tagum City Mayor Rey Uy said despite the nationwide ban ordered by President Benigno Aquino III last year, logging continued.

Uy said evidence of this was the confiscation made by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of logs in recent days, the latest of which was on December 30, several days after the December 17 tragedy.

The seized logs were turned over to the Tagum City government to be fabricated into school furniture.

Uy said it was apparent that some DENR men are in cahoots with illegal loggers because the cutting of trees had persisted.

Jim Sampulna, DENR director for Southern Mindanao, admitted that two DENR employees were being investigated on suspicion of involvement in illegal logging in the region.

He admitted that since Mr. Aquino issued Executive Order No. 23 imposing a total log ban, the DENR has seized more than 4,000 cubic meters of illegally cut forest products with an estimated value of P19.6 million.

He said some of the logs were donated to the Department of Education (DepEd) as materials for chairs and desks. A total of 2.78 cubic meters of logs had been donated to the DepEd so far, he said.

He, however, said DENR men have not been remiss in their duties. “My men have risked their lives and worked long hours in the field,” said Sampulna. Reports from Edwin Fernandez and Charlie Señase, Inquirer Mindanao