Laguna schools get chairs made of seized logs

STA. CRUZ, LAGUNA—The anti-illegal logging task force in Laguna turned over the initial batch of school chairs constructed from seized hot lumber.

Two public schools—the Sta. Cruz Central Elementary School and the Bagumbayan Elementary School—on Thursday received 100 school chairs in time for the opening of classes today.

“We plan to construct more. Our estimate is we can produce 3,000 chairs to be distributed to the schools in Laguna throughout this school year,” said Laguna police director Senior Supt. Gilbert Cruz.

The school chairs were constructed from 250,000 board feet of lumber (Batino, Malapapaya, Dalindingan, Yakal and Malaruhat species) that  government forces seized in Famy, Kalayaan, and Cavinti towns through the continuing anti-illegal logging campaign launched on April 13.

The campaign, dubbed Oplan Berde. (Boost our Environment Resources for the Development of our Ecosystem), was a joint project of the provincial government, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the provincial police and the Philippine Army that formed the task force.

Laguna provincial environment officer Isidro Mercado said the antilogging campaign has crippled 80 percent of the logging operations in the province.

Laguna has been tagged as a transhipment point of illegally cut logs from Quezon province.

The DENR also identified Bay, Kalayaan, Cavinti and Famy towns as hot spots of “carabao logging,” or poached lumber transported on carts pulled by animals.

“As of last night, we believe the logging operations still haven’t resumed (after the series of operations). We noticed that the illegal loggers had also abandoned their usual route (in transporting the logs),” Cruz said.

Laguna Gov. Jeorge “ER” Ejercito, who led the turnover of the school chairs, said the operation would continue as the government looked into reports that the illegally cut lumber were being transported via water tributaries or on trucks concealed as vegetable products.

“(The antilogging operation) was not only able to enforce law for the protection of the environment but also gave (us) the opportunity to contribute to the students’ welfare,” Ejercito said.