A 28-year-old resident of Barangay Alfonso XIII in the town of Quezon must post a bail of P24,000 if he wishes to temporarily regain his freedom after being arrested for alleged involvement in an illegal logging case.
Dennis Gobangco was arrested on September 3 in Brgy. Tabon in the same town for reportedly violating Section 77 of Presidential Decree (PD) 705, as amended by Republic Act (RA) 7161, the Police Provincial Office (PPO) in Palawan said in a report.
He was taken into custody by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-Palawan Provincial Field Unit (PFU) and members of the Quezon Municipal Police Station (MPS) as a wanted individual following the issuance of a warrant dated August 30, 2023.
The warrant of arrest was issued by Judge Ramon Chito Rada Mendoza, presiding judge of Branch 165 of the Regional Trial Court in Brooke’s Point, Palawan. The case has been docketed under Criminal Case Number 23-01485-QZN.
Section 77 of PD 705, also known as the Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines, pertains to the “cutting, gathering, and/or collecting timber, or other forest products without authority.”
The section explicitly prohibits individuals from engaging in the cutting, gathering, or collecting of timber, or any other forest products, without obtaining the necessary licenses and permits from the appropriate government agencies. The law aims to safeguard forest resources, promote sustainable forestry practices, and combat illegal logging.
RA 7161 further amended PD 705 to reinforce the provisions related to the unauthorized exploitation of forest resources. The amendment aims to enhance the penalties for violations and strengthen the enforcement mechanisms to deter illegal activities that contribute to deforestation and environmental degradation.
