Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Environment agency sues datu for illegal logging
THE Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) in Bangkal filed criminal charges Monday against a lumad datu and unidentified followers of illegal logging.
Datu Ruben C. Enangcob and "John Does" were charged before the City Prosecutor's Office for undertaking illegal destruction and occupation of timberland public forest.
The charges stemmed from the joint operation staged by the "Ecological Battalion" last July 7 in Barangay Tambobong, Baguio district to check on rampant slash and burn farming in the area.
"Ecological Battalion" is made up of the National Anti-Environment Crime Task Force of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the office of City Councilor Leonardo Avila III, the DENR-Cenro, Davao City Water District, National Council for Indigenous Peoples, the City Mayor's Office, and the Davao City Police Office.
Lieutenant Colonel Rolando Joselito D. Bautista and Major Romeo E. Cabanalan of the 73rd Infantry Battalion, in their joint affidavit, said they found evidence of kaingin activities in the area while they were on patrol after finding cut "almaciga" trees and hardwood species.
"Accordingly, the illegal activities was perpetrated by some lumads and illegal 'kaingeros' from Arakan, North cotabato, headed by Datu Enangcob, president of Land Utilization Management Agri-eco Development (lumad) as evident on the signboard placed in the area depicting his ownership of the land," the two said.
Task Force Kalatong-Cenro Team in its report to their Regional Executive Director dated July 11 said that, "the stand of almaciga forest known locally as 'Almaciga Country' were not spared from underbrushing, cutting of all the undergrowth, small timbers and poles of mossy forest species being at 1,500 meters plus above sea level were also perpetrated by the Lumad group lead (sic) by Ruben C. Enangcob."
The Kalatong-Cenro Team recommended that Enangcob and his followers be charged for illegal occupation of 116,005.6 square meters of public forest, and the illegal destruction of 11.102 cubic meter of public forest for a total damage of P105,468 "plus an immeasurable destruction of wildings for future regenerations without the necessary permit from the DENR." (SAE)
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (July 25, 2006 issue)
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