A joint law enforcement operation in Sitio Kelyen, Barangay Decalachao in the town of Coron seized 281 board feet of assorted lumber believed to have been illegally cut.
According to a statement released Monday by the 2nd Special Operations Unit-Maritime Group (SOU-MG) under the command of P/Lt. Col. Ricardo Dalmacia, their detachment, along with personnel from the municipality’s Community Environment and Natural Resources Office-Department of Environment and Natural Resources (CENRO-DENR), apprehended three individuals suspected of being responsible for the lumber valued at P12,663.
Apprehended while in the actual possession of the lumber were Joenl Ebina, 32, a resident of Brgy. Salvacion, Busuanga; Ardie Lara, 28, resident of Brgy. Guadalupe, Coron; and Sandrex Dadaya, 24, resident of Sitio Dumagan, Brgy. Salvacion, Busuanga.
According to the 2nd SOU-MG statement, they were unable to produce any paperwork establishing their legal ownership of the lumber. They will be charged for violating Section 77 of Presidential Decree 705, or the Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines, which mandates against illegal cutting, gathering, slashing or collecting timber and other forest products without a license.
