Furniture shop owner sentenced for narra transport

Friday, June 24, 2011

A BUSINESSWOMAN from Isabela was meted with jail term for conveying forest products in Bontoc, Mt. Province without permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Bontoc Regional Trial Court branch 35 Judge Joseph Patnaan recently meted a minimum sentence of 12 years imprisonment to Emitina Bautista, 43, for allegedly illegally transporting timber in violation of the Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines.

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Together with her driver Salvador Santiago Jr., and Santiago City Environment and Natural Resources Office forest ranger Rogelio Bayaua, Bautista, a furniture business owner in Isabela, supposedly illegally transported and possessed 8,301 cubic meters of narra lumber, semi-finished door, wood frames, moldings and assorted wood tiles.

In a court decision, Bautista was found guilty for allegedly transporting and claiming possession of timber worth P99,612 on Oct. 31, 2005 without proper legal documents with the use of a Forward truck.

Bontoc and Mt. Province police together with provincial environment officials caught the three repairing the Elf truck loaded with the cut narra at the Department of Public Works and Highways compound in Bontoc.

When asked for documents proving the legality of the forest product transport, the businesswoman according to witnesses presented several uncertified and unreadable photocopies of transport documents that when double-checked by provincial environment officials did not tally with the transport documents.

The officials also discovered shipment documents were incomplete and shipment diversion existed considering the transport documents said the lumber should have been delivered to Baliuag, Bulacan but instead found its way to Mountain Province.

The accused vehemently denied in her defense committing the violation.

However, Judge Patnaan found her guilty for illegally transporting the mentioned forest products and sentenced her for a minimum of 12 years imprisonment to 20 years maximum imprisonment.

Her two co-accused Santiago and Bayaua are still at large.

The DENR-CAR recently vowed to strengthen efforts to curb illegal logging and timber poaching activities in the region.

DENR Regional Executive Director Clarence Baguilat said with the enactment of Executive Order 23 issued by President Benigno Aquino III that orders a logging moratorium in the country, intensified efforts are being done by the agency in apprehending illegal loggers and those engaged in the logging industry.

He said among those affected by the moratorium is the furniture industry with many engaging in the illegal trade of lumber just to source cheap raw materials for their products.

Regional, provincial and municipal anti-illegal logging task forces were also activated by the agency to finally cease illegal logging activities in the region.

Also, among the Aquino administration’s flagship projects include the National Greening Program (NGP) spearheaded by the DENR in coordination with the Department of Agriculture and Department of Agrarian Reform.

DENR-CAR on Wednesday launched NGP in the region with a ceremonial tree planting activities participated by Assistant Secretary Regidor De Leon, Baguio Bishop Carlito Cenzon, DENR and Baguio City Government officials.