TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) office here has recorded a total of 120 apprehensions for illegal logging from January to October this year compared to only 80 last year.
Manolito Ragub, DENR-Region 8 director, said 18 cases have so far been filed in court from the violations last year, of which two convictions were reported. He said nine cases have so far been filed this year.
Ragub said Northern Samar is considered an illegal logging hotspot considering the number of illegally sawn lumber seized in the area.
He said at least 190,000 board feet of various lumber species and paraphernalia worth about P13 million were confiscated.
Ragub said the seized logs were donated to the Department of Education (DepEd) to be made into armchairs and desks for various schools as per an earlier agreement.
He said DENR Secretary Ramon Paje has been meeting with officials of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority for a possible agreement to course the lumber donations to the agency.
As part of the proposed agreement, TESDA, which has the needed equipment and technology, will manufacture the chairs out of the hot logs. This is to free the DepEd from the expenses, Ragub said.