CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY——-Around P6.2 million worth of illegal timber have been confiscated and 178 alleged poachers arrested in the Caraga region in the first half of the year, the regional police command said.
According to Brig. Gen. Joselito Esquivel Jr., regional police director, the confiscations and arrests were the result of 236 operations against illegal logging in the region, jointly done with personnel of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Esquivel added that some 160,000 board feet of lumber and logs, and 5,115 flitches and 10 rattan poles were seized during these operations.
“We ensure the protection and conservation of our natural resources so our strict enforcement of environmental laws remains relentless,” Esquivel said.
He said he wants to “send a strong message to illegal loggers” that if they persist in their activities, they will eventually “be caught by the long arm of the law.”
Last July, three persons were arrested for illegally transporting over 1,000 board feet of bay-ang and lauan wood from Trento town in Agusan del Sur.