LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Assorted pine lumber were seized by police in a bid to thwart illegal logging in the province. 

Police confiscated 199 pieces of assorted pine lumber and the recovery of a suspected stolen motorcycle in Bokod town. 

The police operation at Sitio Mangakew, Pito yielded the confiscation of abandoned pine lumber with a total volume of 1,524.5 board feet worth P45,735. 

Police are operating in coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in the quest to halt all illegal logging activities in the region. 

The DENR is undermanned with forest rangers with a moratorium hiring blocking the entry of new hires. The vacancy of 100 positions have yet to be filled and because of the freeze in hiring, forest rangers in the region are all over 45 years old and are assigned to a man 2,500 – 3,000-hectare spread of forest. 

In a separate operation, a suspected stolen motorcycle was also recovered at Pracelis town, all lumber and equipment were brought to the Bokod police station for documentation before its eventual turnover to DENR. 

The motorcycle was reported missing by Leo Charchar from Natonin, Mountain Province. Police found the motorcycle abandoned at the banana Plantation in Sitio Tangngag, Poblacion, Paracelis and was later returned to Charchar. 

Benguet police chief Rodolfo Azurin said the joint operation was in coordination with the Upper Agno Water shed Area team.