DENR to donate initial P10-million confiscated wood for DepEd use

MANILA, Philippines - At least P10 million worth of confiscated wood products have been initially earmarked by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as donation to the Department of Education (DepEd) to be used in the construction of new school buildings, chairs, desks and other school facilities.

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said the confiscated items, consisting mostly of logs, flitches and lumber, run up to some 1.37 million board feet that were seized by DENR’s anti-illegal logging team and have been either abandoned by illegal loggers or granted DENR’s ownership by the courts.

“We have already completed an inventory of all confiscated wood products that we intend to donate to DepEd as part of the new government’s fight against graft, particularly questionable dealings at the department involving illegal loggers,” said Paje in a news conference.

He added that the said wood products will no longer be turned over to the Natural Resources Development Corp. (NRDC) for public bidding just like what the department used to do. NRDC is DENR’s corporate arm tasked to undertake bidding or disposal of confiscated forest products.

Paje explained that the move is aimed to put a stop to shady practice whereby financiers of illegal logging operations would take part and win in the biddings for the confiscated logs and sell them for higher profit.

The DENR chief likewise ordered the formulation of the mechanics of the turnover with DepEd officials to ensure that all donated forest products are used for their intended purposes.