DENR eyes raps vs 12 Chinese over pangolins

MANILA, Philippines - The 12 Chinese earlier apprehended after their boat got stuck in Tubbataha Reef last week will be facing additional charges of violating the Wildlife Resources and Conservation Protection Act for the boxes of anteaters seized from their boat, an official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said yesterday.

Mundita Lim, Director of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) of the DENR, said the anteaters (pangolins) would be confiscated and subjected to DNA testing to trace their country of origin.

“It is important to know where the species came from so that if it has been confirmed that these were smuggled, the country concerned can be vigilant and strengthen laws on trading,” Lim said.

Anteaters are included in the vulnerable species list under Republic Act 9147 since they are often used for traditional medicine and curio trade.

Lim said the Tubbataha Management Office would facilitate the filing of the additional case, and the PAWB will provide technical support including “barcoding” of the specimen.

“Further investigation will also have to be conducted since it is possible that the fishermen could not be alone in this operation and they are getting support from a group,” Lim added.

About 400 boxes containing pangolins or scaly anteaters were seized from F/N Min Long Yu, the 48-meter Chinese fishing vessel that ran aground at Tubbataha Reef on April 8.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-Philippines described the pangolins as scaly mammals that can be found throughout Asia and Africa. Eight species still exist – all threatened by habitat loss plus the illegal trade for their meat and unique scales.

WWF-Philippines chief executive officer Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan said the Chinese vessel could have been carrying up to 2,000 of the toothless, insect-eating animals rolled up in the boxes, with their scales already removed.

“It is bad enough that the Chinese have illegally entered our seas, navigated without boat papers and crashed recklessly into a national marine park and World Heritage Site,” he said. “It is simply deplorable that they appear to be posing as fishermen to trade in illegal wildlife.”

The discovery was made by the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Marine Park rangers and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) last Saturday.

The detained 12 Chinese fishermen are facing poaching charges in violation of Republic Act No. 10067 for their illegal entry into the Tubbataha Reef.

PCG Palawan District commander Commodore Enrico Efren Evangelista said they are investigating how a land-based animal like an anteater ended up on board the Chinese ship.

“This is one of the things that we need to find out because the anteaters that we found onboard the ship were already processed. During our initial check on board the ship, we did not find any scales or skin of these anteaters but maybe they hid the skin somewhere,” he said.

Part of the investigation was to inquire with the coastal barangays in Palawan if they have any knowledge on the illegal transport of anteaters.

“We could get leads (information) if the anteaters were already dead or alive when they were transported out of Palawan into the Chinese ship,” Evangelista said.

He said Palawan has 23 coastal towns and 300 barangays but they would be concentrating their search in the coastal areas where there are anteaters, locally called balentong.

It is not clear which of the four Asian pangolin species the meat comes from. The International Union of Conservation of Nature lists two species as endangered: the Sunda, or Malayan, pangolin, and the Chinese pangolin. Two others, including the Philippine pangolin, balentong, which is endemic to Palawan, are classified as near threatened.

The animals are protected in many Asian nations, and an international ban on their trade has been in effect since 2002, but illicit trade continues. The meat and scales of the pangolin fetch hundreds of dollars per kilogram in China, where many believe they cure various ailments.

If it would be proven that there were 400 boxes that each contained six anteaters, Evangelista estimated the worth of the shipment to be P8.4 million. – With Evelyn Macairan, AP