Ex-mayor faces raps over ‘hot’ logs

RODRIGUEZ, Rizal – FORMER Rodriguez, Rizal, Mayor Pedro Cuerpo is facing criminal charges for failure to secure a Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) permit to use illegally cut lumber worth P9 million for school armchairs.

Acting Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro ordered the filing of charges of violation of the Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines against Cuerpo and engineer Aristotle Cruz, who had headed the Rodriguez Municipal Motor Pool.

The charges stemmed from a complaint filed by the DENR in 2005.

The DENR had alleged that the items were used to build school armchairs without the proper permit, license or legal document from the department. The DENR had wanted to take the timber products from the Rodriguez government but were unable to after Cuerpo allegedly intervened.

According to the Office of the Ombudsman, Cuerpo and Cruz were found liable for keeping the illegally cut lumber, consisting of tanguile and lauan, after a search inside the town’s motor pool office.

The items consisted of 4,066 pieces of lumber with a volume of 28,050 board feet and were worth P9 million.

The Office of the Ombudsman said Cruz had admitted that the timber products came from the mountain of Barangay Rodriguez and were delivered to the motor pool.

“Case records readily show that there was irregularity…,” it said.