DENR sues 4 for cutting century-old narra tree in Iloilo

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has sued four people, one of them a DENR official for the illegal cutting of a century-old narra tree in Iloilo. Online news site The News Today reported that the narra tree was cut inside the Bulabog Putian National Park in Dingle town in Iloilo. In a complaint filed before the Iloilo Provincial Prosecutors Office on July 29, DENR Regional Executive Director Lormelyn Claudio charged Jerry Bangeles, Roberto Gonzales, Helacio Prequencia and Cesar Leaban for violating the Forestry Code, the National Integrated Protected System Act and the Wildlife Act. "We have been charged with many accusations in the past, and now is the time where the perpetrators themselves whom we had filed charges had volunteered to give their testimonies to end the abuse of our forest especially in the Bulabog Puti-an National Park and the mountains of Dingle," said Claudio in a statement. Leaban is the community environment and natural resources officer (CENRO) of Barotac Nuevo town which supervises the 854-hectare Bulabog-Putian National Park in Dingle town. He has been relieved from post and transferred to the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office in Negros Occidental. The other respondents are all residents of Dingle. They were accused of being involved in the cutting the narra tree on the evening of July 10 until early morning the next day. Also, they were tagged in the hauling and the cutting into pieces of the tree into commercial lumber reaching 1.19 cubic meters or 4,744.56 board feet with an estimated value of P284,673.60. In its complaint, the DENR said the narra tree is a "premium and endangered wildlife species." Also, the DENR launched an investigation on the possible "negligence and involvement" of personnel of the national park and the CENRO in Barotac Nuevo, particularly those at the licensing and permitting section. Gonzales and Bangeles admitted involvement in the cutting of the tree and hauling of the lumber. Bangeles, a carpenter and chainsaw operator, said there were at least eight persons involved in the cutting from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. However, he insisted he was made to understand that the cutting had a permit. Gonzales said he provided two chainsaws but said that it was Helacio Prequencia who proposed the cutting of the narra tree. He said Prequencia referred to Leaban as "Boss" during a meeting at a restaurant in Dingle on July 11. Prequencia allegedly said the "Boss" wanted them to fast-track the cutting of the tree because he was short of funds. Leaban's lawyer Eugenio Original denied the allegations against his client. "He is not involved in any way in the cutting of the narra tree and the allegations against him are false," Original said in a telephone interview. He said Leaban was in the restaurant on July 11 but it was "by chance." He said Gonzales was a respondent in previous cases filed by Leaban for illegal cutting of trees. - GMANews.TV