INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Environment authorities will set up checkpoints around the Davao region during the Holy Week to watch out for illegal loggers who might try to take advantage of the long holiday, officials said on Wednesday.
Checkpoints and monitoring stations set up by the Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force and other partner agencies will be in operation on a 24/7 basis from Maundy Thursday through Easter Sunday, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said.
In an April 4 memorandum, DENR-Region 11 Executive Director Joselin Marcus E. Fragada told his Provincial and Community Environment and Natural Resources Officers (PENROs and CENROs) to be extra vigilant in the conduct of their forest protection and law enforcement activities.
Fragada also instructed the officers to maintain a skeleton force in every provincial office of the department in the region, and to ensure that the mobile phones of all field officers are open 24/7 in order to respond immediately to emergencies, such as forest fires.
“Specifically, I want them to strictly check the transport of all forest products to ensure that none is illegally-cut or transported,” he said.
Harvesting is allowed only for planted tree species, and anyone caught transporting logs or lumber coming from the residual and natural forests will be punished under Presidential Decree 705 or the Revised Forest Code of the Philippines, and Executive Order No. 23, which declares a moratorium on the cutting and harvesting of timber in the natural and residual forest.
Fragada also called on the public to be vigilant in watching for any environmental violations.
The “Bantay-Lasang” Text Brigade project of the regional office will also be operational during the holiday to provide the public easy access to report forest destruction activities and other environmental concerns.
“Bantay-Lasang” Text Brigade mobile numbers are 09478910391 for Smart and 09178806286 for Globe.
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