By Mike U. Crismundo
Camp Colonel Rafael C. Rodriguez, Butuan City – Five persons were arrested and some 574 board feet of illegally-sawn Lauan lumbers were confiscated by elements of Cagwait Municipal Police Station (MPS) in Cagwait town, Surigao del Sur during anti-illegal logging operations on Tuesday and Wednesday, police reported Thursday.
The operatives of Cagwait Municipal Police Station (MPS) arrested suspect Donald Silvoza around 8:10 p.m. on Tuesday after he yielded 109 board feet of lauan lumber loaded in a Rusi single motorcycle in Cagwait town of that same province.
At 3:40 a.m. the following day,suspects Johnny Lozano, Ramel Logronio, Felipe Lozada, and Joselito Lozano were also caught in the act while unloading some 465 board feet of lauan lumber from three single motorcycles.
“The arrested suspects were brought to the police station and will face charges for violation of PD No. 705 otherwise known as the Forestry Code of the Philippines,” said Chief Supt. Noli A. Romana, regional director of Northeastern Mindanao Police Regional Office 13 (PRO 13.
The confiscated lumbers were immediately turned over to the DENR for final scaling and documentation.