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Monday, January 10, 2005
Police, DENR men seize hot lumber in Sultan Kudarat
NEARLY 5,000 board feet of illegally cut white lawaan lumber, reportedly owned by the notorious Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), were seized Thursday in Palimbang town in Sultan Kudarat by police-backed forest rangers of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Central Mindanao.
Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer (Cenro) Madid Sabdullah of the nearby Kalamansig town said the 4,962 board feet of lawaan logs were seized in the forested parts of barangays Barongis and Wal in Palimbang at around 8 p.m. Thusday.
Sabdullah said the confiscation was the result of the DENR-12 close coordination with the local officials, especially the town's barangay council to help DENR in stopping the illegal cutting of trees in the area.
Palimbang has been tagged by DENR-12 as an illegal logging hot spot because of the prevalence of timber poaching in the area as shown by the huge volume of illegally-cut lumber intercepted last year by the elements of the DENR, police and military.
Palimbang Mayor Labualas Samrod Mamansual has confirmed that the timbers seized Thursday in Wal and Barongis were owned by the Abu Sayyaf, saying "dahil nandyan sila sa mga barangays na yan."
Mamansual said Wal and Barongis are among the 14 barangays where the Abu Sayyaf is engaged into illegal logging activities.
He said the other barangays are Tipungid, Napnapan, Tibolol, Mina, Damolol, Wasag, Midol, Langale, Bambanan, Batang Bagras, Isat and Namad.
"Marami pa silang mga kahoy na itinatago sa masukal na parte ng sinasabi kong mga barangays. Sana mapaalis na sila ng military dito sa Palimbang para maging tahimik na rin ang aming bayan at para mahinto na rin ang illegal logging dito," Mamansual said. (RCB with Ramil Bajo)
(January 10, 2005 issue)
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