Thursday, September 07, 2006
Huge wooden boat abandoned, seized
MAITUM, Sarangani -- A half-finished wooden boat, two-storey high and longer than a basketball court, lies abandoned in the coastal barangay of Pinol after no one claimed ownership when authorities swooped down.
Maitum police chief Geronimo Dimayuga inspected the boat Wednesday, but nobody around would tell about its owner.
The boat has three decks with bridge, crew cabin with built-in beds, and engine room that can hold at least four cars.
Authorities said the boat was "60 percent complete" and locals were calling it "Noah's Ark" because it was entirely made of wood.
Local officials pegged the boat's value at P5 million when completed and fitted with engine.
The boat, 94 feet long with a width of 18.5 feet, was seized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on August 23.
A public notice has been issued by the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) to inform "whoever is the owner" of the abandoned boat "to submit any legal documents within three days upon this posting to support the source of wood materials."
"Otherwise this apprehended item shall be recommended forfeited in favor of the government," said the notice, a copy of which was received by a barangay official Monday.
A composite team from DENR, Municipal Government and the police, which seized the boat, was "facing a blank wall," Cenro Ruel Divino reported.
In a memorandum for Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes dated August 30, Divino said, "There was no one who was willing to divulge the identity of owner for fear of reprisal."
The Cenro recommended that the boat "be disposed immediately through public auction."
Divino said the lumber used has a scaled volume of 20,426.65 board feet of batete, yakal, and lambayao hardwood with total value of P612,799.
The seized boat has been placed under the custody of Pinol barangay kagawad Sarifa Ulangkaya. (Sarangani Information Office)
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