APPROXIMATELY 70,000 boards made of lawaan and other premium woods were seized at Sitio Pipisan, Gupitan, Kapalong, Davao del Norte.
The Provincial Government of Davao del Norte, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (Penro), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Davao del Norte Police Provincial Office (DNPPO), and 60th Infantry Battalion confiscated the premium woods during their joint operation against illegal logging.
Governor Edwin Jubahib intensified the province's campaign against illegal logging to prevent severe flooding and landslides, similar to what the province experienced last month, as stated in the Provincial Government of Davao del Norte's Facebook post on January 25, 2024.
This strengthened campaign is a response to widespread flooding caused by heavy rainfall from a low-pressure area affecting Mindanao.
Executive Order Number 23, series of 2011, declared a moratorium on cutting and harvesting timber in natural and residual forests, establishing the Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force.
“The destructive effects of the phenomenon on the environment are apparent in many regions in the country and it is an accepted fact that the effects are worsened due to the continuous denudation of the forest zones,” the E.O. states.
The enforcers crossed several floods and landslides to reach the area, about 120 kilometers away from Tagum City, to arrest the illegal loggers but the authorities did not find anything.
That's why they confiscated 10,000 boards and loaded them in three trucks of the provincial government to be impounded at the Capitol, while the investigation is being done.
However, 60,000 boards of lumber remain in the lower part of the area. Authorities were unable to retrieve them due to the rapidly rising water levels of the two rivers. RGP