Cops nab 3, seize illegal coco lumber in Quezon

LUCENA CITY — Police seized a truck loaded with illegally cut coconut lumber in Tayabas City in Quezon province before midnight Saturday, police said Sunday.

Major Mark Amat, Tayabas police chief, said a concerned citizen tipped them off about a truck loaded with illegally cut coconut lumber in Barangay Mateuna around 11:30 p.m.

Policemen seized an estimated 8,000 board feet of freshly sawn coconut lumber.

The truck driver, Ramiro Calamigan, and his helpers, Renz Mark Quiling and Arnel Bon, all residents of nearby Mauban town, failed to produce documents from the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) giving them authority to cut and transport the coconut lumber, which prompted the authorities to confiscate the hot lumber and the truck.

Under Republic Act No. 8048 or the Coconut Preservation Act of 1995, the cutting of coconut trees is prohibited unless a permit is secured at the local PCA office.

Republic Act 10593, which amends RA 8048, only allows cutting when the tree is “severely disease-infested and beyond rehabilitation” or was “severely damaged” by typhoon or lightning.

But like RA 8048, RA 10593 also requires a permit from the PCA to cut trees.