Nueva Vizcaya cops probe tie-up of loggers, furniture makers

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – Police are looking into the possible indirect involvement of several furniture makers here by allegedly abetting timber poaching through the purchase, wittingly or unwittingly, of illegally sourced wood materials.

Several such illegal loggers were identified in various parts of the province, especially in the towns of Bam­bang, Kasibu and Kayapa, as well as in Ambaguio and Quezon towns, Senior Superintendent Segundo Duran, provincial police director, said yesterday.

These timber poachers have been allegedly made linkages with several furniture makers and other wood processors for the continued supply of wood to their establishment, resulting in the further degradation of the province’s remaining forest cover.

“We know who are the illegal loggers and buyers of illegally sourced wood based on the reports of our men. We are just waiting to catch them red-handed,” he said.

The provincial police director identified the said personalities in an earlier briefing with some provincial officials based on a report of the newly-formed multi-sectoral Task Force Oplan Kahoy. The said task force was created to curb illegal logging activities in the wake of a call by Gov. Luisa Lloren-Cuaresma to probe rampant timber poaching here.

According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, timber poaching has been a perennial headache for environmentalist groups here, considering that this landlocked province is the region’s watershed, especially for the Magat River, one of the major sources of irrigation waters and power generation for the Magat Dam.

Cuaresma had expressed alarm over this continued illegal activity, saying residents need to link up with the provincial government in a strengthened effort to finally stop this age-old practice.    – Charlie Lagasca