THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Davao Region re-launched this year the "Bantay Lasang Project," to strengthen the environment protection and preservation efforts in the region.
"This is just a revival of our campaign [which started on February 2011] yung text brigade, what is new this time is that we have hotline numbers in the regional office plus in the provincial offices," DENR regional enforcement division head Victor Billiones said in a recent press conference.
In DENR's official Facebook page, the project is one of the bureau's strategies to further intensify its anti-illegal logging campaign aiming to neutralize hotspot areas in the region and achieve zero-logging activities nationwide.
The project is utilizing five cellular phones directly linking to DENR's Action Center in the regional office and to its Provincial Environmental and Natural Resources Offices (Penros).
It also said that the project is in support to the Executive Order No. 23 or the moratorium on cutting and harvesting of timber in the natural and residual forests and the creation of the Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force (AILTF).
Bantay Lasang hotline numbers are:
DENR 11: 09476116083 (Smart) and 09773203500 (Globe)
Davao Oriental: 09476116028 (Smart) and 09065268592 (Globe)
Davao del Norte: 09476116023 (Smart) and 09773203503 (Globe)
Davao del Sur: 09476116009 (Smart) and 09369543410 (Globe)
Compostela Valley: 09476116030 (Smart) and 09369544592 (Globe).
Since January this year, the DENR has recorded 36 apprehensions and seized 781.39 cubic meters cut logs, amounting to P2.7 million. These were all seized in Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental and Davao del Sur.