Authorities recover logs off the coastlines of Aurora province since Friday. These could have originated from Papua New Guinea based on the stickers. Photo courtesy of the DENR
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — At least 100 logs that could have originated from Papua New Guinea were retrieved by police and fishermen from the Pacific Ocean coast in Aurora province, a top police official said on Sunday.
Retrieval operations are still ongoing since the logs were seen last Friday floating off the coast of Aurora. Each of the logs was 65 feet long.
These were discovered in the towns of Baler, San Luis, Dinalungan, the northern towns of Casiguran and Dilasag, and the eastern town of Dingalan, according to Brig. Gen Valeriano de Leon, Central Luzon police chief.
De Leon said he instructed the police to secure the recovered logs for possible claiming by the owner.
A ship might have unloaded the logs at sea to cope with strong waves, according to Paquito Moreno, regional executive director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
The DENR supervised the retrieval operation, said Paquito.
Based on the DENR’s inventory, the logs totaled 109 at different lengths, the longest being 65 feet, according to Alfred Collado, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer of Aurora, in a phone interview.
The logs have stickers with the marking, “Papua New Guinea Forest Authority.”