The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Central Luzon recently conducted an anti-illegal logging operation in Bulacan that resulted in the confiscation of 22,000 board feet of illegally sourced lumber in a lumberyard in the town of Baliuag. The seized lumber worth Php 1.2 million consisted of premium species mostly Dipterocarps.

In a separate operation, combined operatives of the National Bureau (NBI) environmental crime division and the DENR, confiscated 56,000 board feet of illegally sourced lumber of premium hardwood species worth Php3.2 million in a warehouse allegedly owned by a certain Ricky Yu. The wood species include narra, kamagong, tindalo, tanguile, yakal, mayapis and Benguet pine.

The DENR and NBI are now filing charges against Yu and his four Filipino accomplices identified as Andy Binos, Roberto Bonaobra, Ernesto Vasquez Jr., and Jerry Belgica for violating forestry laws. If found guilty, they may face a maximum of 20 years imprisonment.

The crackdown on illegal logging activities also led to a series of raids on establishments selling hot lumber including those located in a village in Guagua town in Pampanga. ###

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Category: Regional Releases

Published: 08 July 2019

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) seizes about 6,000 board feet of illegally sourced lumber of premium hardwood species worth more than a million pesos in Nueva Ecija. DENR, along with the Philippine Army (PA) and Philippine National Police (PNP), raided a one-hectare compound in Barangay Langla in Jaen town through a search warrant issued by Judge Celso Baguio of Gapan City. According to DENR Central Luzon Regional Executive Director Paquito Moreno, Jr., premium species of yakal, lauan, and molave were found inside the compound without necessary documents. These species, which are included in the logging ban, were illegally sourced from the remaining natural forest in the Sierra Madre mountain range.

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Published: 07 July 2019

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu ordered the donation of assorted pieces of hardwood to the 22 crewmen of F/V GEM VER for the repair of their fishing boats damaged in the collision incident in Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea on June 9.

In his directive to Department of Environment and Natural Resources MIMAROPA (Region 4B) Regional Executive Director (RED) Henry Adornado, Cimatu instructed the donation of 379 pieces or 3,084 board feet of confiscated lumber to the fishermen involved in the incident. Felix Dela Torre and Junel Insigne received the lumber on behalf of the affected fishermen. The men are all residents of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro.

DENR Region 4B, through its regular forest patrol and monitoring, has collected confiscated lumber that may be used for construction purposes.

“We are glad that we are able to make use of confiscated forest products to help our fellowmen,” said RED Adornado. “Nature indeed has its way of helping people start anew,” he added.

 The donation of confiscated lumber to the F/V GEM VER crewmen was facilitated by the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office in Occidental Mindoro and the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office in San Jose. ###

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Published: 02 July 2019

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has given its green signal to the forest land use plans or FLUPs of four municipalities in Western Visayas.

DENR Region 6 Executive Director Francisco E. Milla, Jr. identified the local government units that have successfully completed their FLUPs as the municipalities of Dingle and Balasan in Iloilo province, and Cuartero and Jamindan in Capiz.

“The FLUP will serve as your guide in your decision making.  It should nowbe a part of your Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP),”Milla said during the signing of the FLUP Implementation Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) held June 3, 2019 at the DENR regional office in Iloilo City.

FLUP is a planning tool that equips LGUs, DENR and other stakeholders to comprehensively map out future economic progress of an area in the context of sustainable forest management, biodiversity management, climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and management and forest degradation.

The Implementation MOA is the final document to complete the process of FLUP preparation prior to its implementation.   It also serves as a symbol of partnership between the DENR and the local government units to co-manage the forest and forestland resources of the town to ensure sustainable development for the benefit of the people.

“There has to be a balance between economic development and environmental protection,” Milla told the LGUs, as he reminded them to take a lesson from Boracayisland which suffered massive environmental degeneration as a consequence of imbalanced priorities and unplanned development.

“Because of imbalance of priorities, many things were not planned. On the beach easement, there are structures that were taken out. Permanent structures were also built on forestlands and wetlands because many workers stay in boarding houses and no longer return to their homes,” he said.

For their part, the chief executives of the four LGUs, namely:  Dingle Mayor Jimmy C. Quicoy, BalasanMayor Manuel Ganzon, JamindanMayor Mac Arthur Valdemar and Cuartero,Mayor Tito Mayo expressed their heartfelt gratitude to DENR- 6 for providing technical support in thecrafting of their respective FLUPs. ###

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Published: 21 June 2019

More than 300 volunteers showed up and took part in the clean-up of the Apagonanriver in Aparri, Cagayan on Monday, June 17, 2019, marking the start of the river’s rehabilitation.

Addressing the participants, DENR Region 2 Executive Director Atty. Antonio Abawagurged the local officials to pass ordinances supporting the rehabilitation of the 18-kilometer Apagonan River.

This, even as he warned businesses and residents to comply with environmental laws, or face the consequences of their non-compliance.

“I’m giving the business establishments and households along the riverbank six months to comply with environmental laws, particularly the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act and Clean Water Act. Otherwise, we will issue notice of violations and file cases against those discharging their waste directly into the river,” Abawag said.

The regional environment chief has ordered the officials of  PENR Office- Cagayan to meet with the barangay officials to brief them on the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act and the Philippine Clean Water Act to remind them of their roles and responsibilities under said laws.  He also instructed the provincial head to attend the Sangguniang Bayan sessions.

In July 2018, the DENR launched the RIVERS for Life Award, a nationwide search that will give recognition to individuals and institutions for their efforts in the conservation and protection of rivers.

Classified as Class C, the Apagonan River covers 10 barangays of Aparri.  

According to PENRO Ismael Manaligod, the Apagonan River is a breeding ground of both freshwater and marine species as it is connected to the estuary of the Cagayan River and the Babuyan Sea.

During the occasion, acting Mayor RiaCapiñahas committed to pass ordinances for the strict implementation of the solid waste management law.

“The rehabilitation of our Apagonan River is important, being one of the primary sources of income of the people of Aparri,” Capiña said.

A total of 102 sacks of solid waste were collected by the volunteers, representing different government agencies, non-government organizations, business sector, media and DENR employees.###

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Published: 19 June 2019