DENR PENRO Capiz intercepts illegal cutting activities

Pilar, Capiz- Thanks to a community informant, an illegal cutting activity was swiftly intercepted in Brgy. Olalo, Pilar, Capiz.

A call was received by the Monitoring and Enforcement Section (MES) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Provincial ENR Office (DENR-PENRO) Capiz in the morning of January 7, 2024 from a concerned citizen disclosing an alleged
illegal cutting of trees is underway in Brgy. Olalo, Pilar.

Acting promptly on the information, the MES personnel proceeded to the area at around 8:00 o’clock in the morning and conducted a surveillance operation and foot patrol.

By 11:22AM, the team successfully intercepted two (2) chain saws and five (5) square logs of Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) and Gmelina species (Gmelina arborea), with a volume of 132 bd. ft. or 0.31 cu. m. valued at approximately Php5,280.00.

The confiscated forest products and equipment are now under the custody of DENR- PENRO Capiz and will be subject to proper disposition in accordance with environmental laws and regulations.

“We commend the swift action of PENRO Capiz under the leadership of PENR Officer rnest C. Federiso in arresting the illegal cutting activities in his area of jurisdiction. Such brave act will now send a signal to other would-be violators that we are serious in
implementing the environmental laws,” said DENR 6 OIC Regional Executive Director Raul L. Lorilla.

Illegal cutting is a violation of Section 68 of Presidential Decree 705 or the Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines which states: “Cutting, gathering and/or collecting timber or ther products without license. Any person who shall cut, gather, collect, or remove timber or other forest products from any forest land, or timber from alienable and disposable public lands, or from private lands, without any authority under a license agreement, lease, license or permit, shall be guilty of qualified theft as defined and punished under Articles 309 and 310 of the Revised Penal Code.”

As to the use of chainsaw, Section 7 (4) of RA 9175 or The Chain Saw Act of 2002, states: “Any person who is found to be in possession of a chain saw and uses the same to cut trees and timber in forest land or elsewhere except as authorized by the Department shall be penalized with imprisonment of six (6) years and one (1) day to eight (8) years or a fine of not less than Thirty thousand pesos (P30,000.00) but not more than Fifty thousand pesos (P50,000.00) or both at the discretion of the court without prejudice to being prosecuted for a separate offense that may have been simultaneously committed. The chain saw unlawfully used shall be likewise confiscated in favor of the government.

This is a small win of the Department against illegal cutters and supports the DENR’s thrust on Intensified Forest Protection Program. The DENR encourages the public to actively participate in the fight against illegal cutting and other environmental violations.

Together, we can protect and preserve our forests for the benefit of the future generations./DENR 6