Rains snag retrieval of logs in Pangasinan-Zambales

DAGUPAN CITY—The onset of the rainy season this month has stopped environment officials from retrieving logs from illegally cut trees in the Pangasinan-Zambales mountains.

Raymundo Gayo, community environment and natural resources officer, said his office had hauled down some 5,153.63 board feet of logs and slabs out of about 33,920 board feet discovered in different areas of the mountains in March.

“It’s been raining up there and it’s strong,” Gayo told members of the national anti-illegal logging task force in a meeting here on Thursday.

Last month, a team of environment officials, policemen and soldiers discovered a network of roads that connect to the rough 54-km Mangatarem (Pangasinan)-Sta. Cruz (Zambales) road built two years ago, raising fears that illegal loggers will use this to haul down logs.

Leduina Co, provincial environment and natural resources officer, said  retrieval operations began on March 16, where some 584.22 board feet of tanguile, palosapis and yakal slabs were recovered.

The retrieval team, composed of environment officials, foresters and Army soldiers, conducted follow up operations on March 17, 20, 21 and 22.

“We had to cut the logs into small pieces so we can carry them,” Gayo said.

But in each trip, he said, his team can only bring down a limited number of slabs and flitches because they use small vehicles.

“It’s been really very difficult for us,” Gayo said.

Pangasinan Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources should finish the retrieval operations soon not only because illegal loggers might get them first but because the logs may rot.

“If we wait for a long time again due to procedural matters, they might just rot there and become useless,” Bataoil said.

He said the illegally cut logs should instead be put into good use, such as in building school desks and classrooms.

Samuel Peñafiel, DENR regional executive director, said the DENR could donate the logs to public schools and local governments.

“I was actually saying that any institution who wants to bring a truck up there can haul them down and we can donate the logs to them,” Peñafiel said.

Bataoil said he was happy that illegal logging operations in the area was stopped. “This is the only remaining forest in Pangasinan and I have always asked for support for intervention from all levels to prevent its further denudation,” he said.  Gabriel Cardinoza, Inquirer Northern Luzon