Thursday, October 18, 2007
NBI seizes 100 sacks of corals in Lapu
OPERATIVES of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 yesterday entered a warehouse in Lapu-Lapu City and recovered over 100 sacks of harvested red sea corals ready for processing into jewelry.
They also confiscated several flitches, log bolts and square logs cut from what an environment department source described as centuries-old Yakal, Tindalo and Camanchiles trees.
Dioscorro Abenido, chief of the monitoring and surveillance division of the regional Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Bfar), placed the value of the seized corals at a minimum of P150,000.
“Their value increases after processing because the finished items are exported,” he said.
The flitches and logs have a conservative value of P85,000.
Loreto Rivac of the City Environment and Natural Resource Office said the value could even be higher depending on outcome of their laboratory examination.
Rivac said the wood was most likely obtained for use, together with the corals, as fashion accessories and other trinkets.
Charges for violation of Fisheries Administrative Order 202, Republic Act 8550 or the Fisheries Code of 1998, and illegal logging will be filed against Cielo Ramirez, owner of Richmars Fashion Jewelry Import-Export.
Lawyer Bernard de la Cruz, the NBI agent assigned to the case, Ramirez and a certain Mr. Dusky own the warehouse in Subabasbas, Marigondon, Lapu-Lapu City, where the items were seized.
“The possession of corals is illegal unless it is for scientific reasons,” Bfar’s Abenido said.
Section 2 of Fisheries Administrative Order 202 states: “It shall be unlawful for any person or corporation to gather, possess, sell or export ordinary, precious and semi-precious corals whether in raw or in processed form.”
Red corals, Abenido said, are deemed to be precious corals.
Bfar regulatory officer Roel Cabanag speculated that the corals might have been obtained off the waters of Zamboanga, Palawan or Dapitan.
He said harvesting methods include divers, breathing in air through compressors, jumping into the water with crowbars that they will use to jab at and remove the corals from the seabed.
Lawyer Ernesto Macabare, NBI 7 executive officer, said they conducted the raid after receiving information from sources.
The NBI has been active in the enforcement of environment laws, particularly in tracking down and arresting illegal dealers of explosives used in illegal fishing. (KNR)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (October 18, 2007 issue)
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