The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) recently donated assorted pieces of hardwood to the 22 crew of the ill-fated F/V Gem Ver involved in the June 9 incident in Recto Bank, West Philippine Sea.
In a statement, the DENR said it made the donation following Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana’s request for the agency to donate wood materials for the fishermen to repair their damaged vessel, as well as the boats that they received from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
Complying with DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu’s directive, MIMAROPA regional director Henry Adornado ordered the donation of 379 pieces (3,084 board feet) of confiscated lumber to Felix Dela Torre and Junel Insigne, who represented the 20 other fishermen affected by the incident.
The statement said the crewmen are all residents of San Jose in Occidental Mindoro, one of the provinces that are within the jurisdiction of DENR MIMAROPA.
DENR MIMAROPA, through its regular forest patrol and monitoring, has in its possession confiscated lumber that may be used as sturdy materials for any construction.
“We are glad that we are able to make use of confiscated forest products to help our fellowmen. Nature indeed has its way of helping people start anew,” Adornado said.
The donation of confiscated lumber to the F/V GEM VER crewmen was facilitated by the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) in Occidental Mindoro and the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in San Jose.
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