P.6M ‘hot lumber’ seized traced to Ecija solon’s brod

DINGALAN, Aurora — The 21,000 board feet of lumber seized by operatives of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in a mini-sawmill Tuesday belongs to the brother of a representative from Nueva Ecija, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources reported yesterday.

Meliton Vicente, CENRO-Dingalan, told The STAR that the lumber, loaded in two trucks and seized in the Yama compound of the Siriporn Sawmill in Barangay Aplaya, is owned by Greg Manuel, brother of three-term first district Rep. Josie Manuel-Joson.

Vicente said Manuel has a lumber permit with the DENR but this has expired on Nov. 9, prompting them to seize the contraband worth P600,000. He added that Manuel has a quota of up to only 261 board feet of lumber.

Aside from the contraband, CENRO operatives also seized 14,000 board feet of illegally sawn flitches in barangays Butas na Bato, Paltik and Umiray in the compounds of Edgardo Gatdula and Edel Palmares.

Vicente said Gatdula have denied owning the contraband which was placed at the back of the compound facing the Pacific Ocean. He said that Gatdula has been issued a lumber dealer permit by the DENR but is not authorized to possess flitches.

Some of the flitches reportedly originated from Gen. Nakar, Quezon and transported to this town using the sea.

Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo hailed Vicente for the operations, saying she’s supporting the DENR official in the campaign against illegal logging in Dingalan "all the way." She said that the provincial government would provide a manpower complement to the DENR so they could continue to safeguard the province from illegal loggers and timber poachers.

Angara-Castillo said she has ordered Vicente and Benjamin Mina, DENR provincial environment and natural resources officers, to spare no one in the campaign against illegal logging. "I have made it known that there will be no sacred cows in our campaign."— Manny Galvez