P10M in illegal lumber seized in Mandaue City

CEBU CITY—At least P10 million worth of illegal lumber have been seized by police and environment officials in Mandaue City early last week.

Insp. Delfin Bontuyan, of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group  in Central Visayas, said police raided a warehouse in Barangay Paknaan in Mandaue to enforce a search warrant issued by Judge Rafael Yrastorza of Mandaue Regional Trial Court  Branch 28  on Oct. 23.

Bontuyan said named in the warrant was Jose Yap, owner of  Paknaan Center where the warehouse is located.

Bontuyan said the raiding team found various types of lumber from narra, kamagong and mahogany trees being kept at the warehouse.

Richard Abella, provincial environment officer of Cebu, said the seizure of the lumber was part of the enforcement of President Aquino’s Executive Order No. 23 that banned commercial logging in natural forests nationwide.