‘Hot’ lumber seized in Sayyaf-influenced b’gays

Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat — Forest rangers, backed up by the local police, seized last Friday afternoon nearly 15,000 board feet of illegally cut lumber in two barangays where the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Abu Sayyaf supposedly wield influence.

Zacarrudin Magarang, provincial environment and natural resources officer of Sultan Kudarat, said in his report to Jim Oliveros Sampulna, Central Mindanao executive director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, said they hauled in about four truckloads of squared (8 x 8 x 12) hardwood lumber of various species like lawaan, lamod, binuang and yakal from remote parts of Barangays Napnapan and Kanipaan.

One truckload was seized from Sitio Mangga in Barangay Kanipaan, while the rest was taken from Sitio Malalag in Barangay Napnapan.

All the seized lumber is scheduled to be transported to the DENR-Region 12 office in Koronadal City for safekeeping. It is temporarily housed at the DENR Assistance Center in Barangay Milbuk, Maitum, Sarangani.

The raiding team was led by Chief Inspector Kadil Masahod, chief of the Palimbang police and commanding officer of the Sultan Kudarat 1,108th Provincial Police Mobile Group (PPMG).

Community environment and natural resources officer Mike Sabdullah of Kalamansig estimated the seized lumber to be worth more than P200,000 based on the P15 price per board foot.

He said the illegally cut lumber was scattered all over the place, some of them covered by banana leaves and others floating in a stream.

He said the seizure of the "hot" lumber was made possible through the help of Palimbang municipal and barangay officials, led by Mayor Labualas Mamansual, who has instructed Masahod to extend all-out support to the DENR’s anti-illegal logging campaign.

Sabdullah said the raid was in line with the directive of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Michael Defensor "to intensify our anti-illegal logging operations in Sultan Kudarat, particularly in Palimbang town."

The DENR-Region 12 has tagged Palimbang as one of the illegal logging hot spots in Central Mindanao because of rampant timber poaching in the town, evidenced by the huge volume of "hot" lumber confiscated there last year.

Masahod suspects that the bulk of the illegally cut lumber seized in Barangays Napnapan and Kanipaan came from the forested areas of Sitio Biao, Barangay Milbuk, Sarangani.

He said the confiscated lumber was owned by a Manobo leader, identified only as Kumander Emi, and a certain Monting Kirab, a businessman from Lebak and a former field commander of the MILF.