Seized lumber belongs to Sayyaf

PALIMBANG, Sultan Kudarat — Illegally cut lawaan lumber, totaling 4,962 board feet and believed owned by the extremist Abu Sayyaf, was seized in two hinterland barangays here last Thursday night.

Madid Sabdullah, community environment and natural resources officer, said the "hot" lumber was seized in the jungles of Barangays Barongis and Wal based on a tip to forest rangers and the Palimbang police.

The Region 12 office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has tagged this town as an illegal logging hot spot because of rampant timber poaching.

Palimbang Mayor Labualas Mamansual said the Abu Sayyaf owned the seized lumber, adding that the extremist group has been engaged in "carabao logging" in 14 barangays, including Wal and Barongis.

Mamansual identified the 12 other barangays as Tipungid, Napnapan, Tibolol, Mina, Damolol, Wasag, Midol, Langale, Bambanan, Batang Bagras, Isat and Namad.

He suspects the Abu Sayyaf still keeps more "hot" logs in the jungles of these villages. "I hope the military would drive them away from Palimbang so our town would be peaceful and illegal logging would stop," he said in Tagalog.