PNP News Releases 2005

1.6 - M BOARDFEET OF TIMBER SEIZED BY POLICE THIS YEAR

The Philippine National Police confiscated some 1.6-million boardfeet of illegally-cut timber products and arrested 917 persons for illegal-logging during the last 11 months of this year.

Yesterday, PNP Chief, Director General Edgar B Aglipay ordered all PNP Units to intensify the campaign against illegal-logging in support of the log ban.

The PNP Chief has also committed all Regional and Provincial Mobile Groups to provide law enforcement support to the anti-illegal logging task force headed by retired General Victor Corpus.

According to PNP Spokesman, Senior Superintendent Leopoldo N Bataoil, the anti-illegal logging campaign of the PNP will continue without let-up to enforce the country's environment and forestry laws in accordance with PNP Masterplan “Sang-Yaman”.

Citing PNP records culled by the Directorate for Operations, Bataoil said a total of 1,597,042.41 boardfeet of illegally-cut timber products worth approximately P32.9-million were confiscated during 5,113 police operations conducted from January 1 to November 30, 2004.

The confiscated wood products consist of 5,071 flitches, mostly confiscated in PNP-DENR checkpoints.

A total of 278 cases were filed in court against the arrested violators.

PNP Regional Office 4-B in the MIMAROPA region recorded the most number of anti-illegal logging operations. MIMAROPA arrested 118 violators during 1,622 operations conducted and confiscated 59,447 boardfeet of hot lumber.