LUCENA CITY – Police seized illegally cut coconut lumber worth P36,000 in an operation in Unisan town in Quezon province Monday night.
Operatives caught farmer Lauro Mansares Revañao while loading some 500 pieces of coconut lumber into an Izusu Elf van in Barangay Almacen around 7:30 p.m., a report from the Quezon police headquarters said.
The confiscated cargo has an estimated volume of around 3,000 board feet (7.07 cubic meter)
Revañao failed to produce a permit from the Philippine Coconut Authority for his cargo, which prompted the authorities to confiscate the hot lumber including the vehicle.
The suspect was detained in Unisan 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.