LUCENA CITY – Police seized illegally cut coconut lumber worth P30,000 in a checkpoint in Sampaloc town in Quezon province Thursday night.
A report from the Quezon police headquarters said the authorities flagged down an Isuzu Elf van loaded with 200 pieces of cut coco lumber in a checkpoint in Barangay (village) Bayongon around 7:30 p.m.
Police said the driver, Jayson Encanto, failed to produce the necessary permit from the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) for his cargo, which prompted the authorities to confiscate the hot lumber, including the vehicle. The suspect was detained at the Sampaloc police jail.
Under Republic Act No. 8048 or the Coconut Preservation Act of 1995, the cutting of coconut trees is prohibited unless a permit is secured at the local PCA office. DELFIN T. MALLARI JR.