Bulacan gov’t suspends retrieval of logs due to smuggling attempt

CITY OF MALOLOS—The Bulacan government has suspended the retrieval of logs and trees felled by recent typhoons in the Angat Dam watershed after local officials discovered irregularities in the hauling.

The trees would have been used as materials for desks to be distributed to schools in the province.

Mendel Garcia, head of the Angat Watershed Area Management Team, said he stopped the operation of the contractor, Dipterocarp Trading and Lumber Dealer (DTLD), more than two weeks ago after its personnel misdeclared a shipment of lumber as milling wastes.

Milling wastes

Garcia said Eduardo Gatdula, DTLD manager, and his men hid 3,758.58 board feet of lumber under milling wastes as they tried to cross a security checkpoint.

“This contractor tried to steal from the province, the governor and the school children who could have used the classroom furniture [which the DTLD was hired to build],” Garcia said.

Charges against the DTLD were expected to be pursued last week, he said.

Emmanuel Umali, department manager for watershed management of the National Power Corp., said it would be up to the Bulacan government to decide if the DTLD would be allowed to continue its contract.

In April, Umali signed a memorandum of agreement with Governor Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado for the donation of all logs and fallen trees recovered from the Angat reservoir to the provincial government so these could be used to build school furniture.

Garcia said the contract with the DTLD granted it 80 percent of logs it is able to recover from the reservoir, while 20 percent would be used to build classroom chairs, tables and even classrooms.

Roberto Toledo, principal of Marcelo H. Del Pilar High School here, said the public school is the largest in Bulacan and would need help to build more classroom chairs and tables for its 10,000 students.

Lack of chairs

Toledo said they needed up to 5,000 wooden chairs and 40 additional classrooms to ease overcrowding. He said some high school students end up standing during class due to lack of chairs.—Carmela Reyes-Estrope, Inquirer Central Luzon