Environmental and law enforcement agencies reactivated the Provincial Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force (PAILTF) in Davao Oriental on August 17, 2026, to step up operations against timber poaching across the province.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (DENR-Penro) Davao Oriental, led by Penro Officer Pablito M. Ofrecia, signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) at the Old Penro Building in Barangay Dahican, Mati City, alongside four Community Environment and Natural Resources (CENR) officers.
According to a post on the official DENR Davao Region Facebook page published on August 26, the multi-agency task force operates under Executive Order 23, Series of 2011, which bans logging in all natural and residual forests.
Signatories to the agreement include the Davao Oriental Police Provincial Office (DOPPO), Philippine Army, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
The reactivated task force will coordinate intelligence gathering, field monitoring, joint investigations, and enforcement of forestry, mining, and wildlife regulations.
In a statement cited in the post, DOPPO Officer-in-Charge PCOL Joseph A. Fajardo Jr. highlighted the task force’s security mandate.
“Let it serve as a reminder that every tree protected, every illegal activity prevented, and every environmental law properly enforced contributes to a safer and more sustainable Province of Davao Oriental,” Fajardo said.
While specific figures on local timber seizures were not detailed, DENR regional reports historically show thousands of board feet of illegally harvested hardwood confiscated annually across the Davao Region through joint law enforcement sweeps.
