After 2 years, authorities yet to arrest park supervisor accused of stealing elephant tusks

More than two years have passed but Philippine authorities have yet to arrest a park supervisor accused of stealing more than 1,500 pounds of smuggled elephant tusks earlier seized by Customs officials.

 

The National Bureau of Investigation has been conducting manhunt operations against Medardo Medel Eduarte, former superintendent at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center in Quezon City, who has been missing since 2010.

 

The Quezon City regional trial court issued an arrest warrant against Eduarte in 2011 for qualified theft.

 

The missing elephant tusks estimated to be worth $65,000 was part of 8,800-pound (4,000-kilogram) shipment of tusks that was earlier impounded at the NAIA in July 2009 and turned over for disposal to the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau.

 

Then-PAWB director Theresa Mundita Lim ordered the tusks to be transferred to the custody of Eduarte for safekeeping.

 

The theft of the tusks was discovered in March 2010. Since then, Eduarte failed to report for work.

 

 

Sixto Comia, head of the NBI environmental and wildlife investigation division, believed Eduarte is involved in the incident.

 

“Yung security kasi yung me hawak ng susi (sa storage room). Saka later on nang imbestigahan natin, nakabili siya ng dalawang kotse at allegedly isang bahay sa Quezon City e security guard lang ito,” he told GMA News' Raffy Tima in an interview.

 

He also believed a syndicate was behind theft of the elephant tusks.

 

“Sindikato ito. May nag-udyok dito, malaki to. Isipin mo elephant tusks 1,500 pieces kung sabihin mong buong elephant tusks to 1,500 pieces e kung dalawa ang tusk ng isang elepante e di 700 elephants to,” he said.

 

With this, Comia asked those who have information on the whereabouts of Eduarte to help them make the latter surface.

 

The smuggling of elephant tusks was brought to public awareness recently with the issue on illegal ivory trade published in the National Geographic magazine.

 

The name of Monsignor Cristobal Garcia of Cebu was dragged into the issue as he was allegedly “one of the best known ivory collectors in the Philippines.”

 

Elephant tusk is one of the important source of ivory.

 

Comia said they would talk with the people mentioned in the National Geographic article like Monsignor Garcia and the ivory carvers in Manila.

 

In Cebu, however, personnel from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Region 7 failed to get inside the Archdiocese and Shrine of Jesus Nazareno headed by Monsignor Garcia to investigate his alleged ivory collection. — with Amita Legaspi/RSJ, GMA News