DILG, DENR to come up with new strategy vs. illegal logging, quarrying

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) are teaming up against illegal logging and illegal quarrying following massive flooding in the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela amid Typhoon Ulysses earlier this month.

In a statement, DILG spokesperson Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said the National Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force, though Executive Order 23, will be called to a meeting by the DENR to enforce new strategies in protecting the country's remaining forest cover and threatened habitats.

The Task Force will be made up personnel from the DILG, the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

According to Malaya, DILG Secretary Eduardo Año and DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu have agreed to mobilize all resources to end the further destruction of Philippines' remaining forest resources.

“The DILG commits to mobilize the LGUs, the PNP, BFP and BJMP to meet the goal of the NGP to rehabilitate the unproductive, denuded, and degraded forest lands of the country by engaging local communities in the DENR’s reforestation program. We will also work with Civil Society Organizations to plant more seedlings for our forests to grow again,” Malaya said.

He said the DILG supports the DENR's National Greening Program (NGP) which aims to rehabilitate around 1.2 million hectares of denuded forest lands by 2022.

The DILG spokesperson cited PNP data of 6,710 anti-illegal logging operations from January to October 2020, where 3,336 illegal loggers were arrested across the country.

“The 6,710 PNP operations have led to the recovery of 3,663,173 board feet of lumber illegally cut from our remaining forest cover. We have filed 1,145 cases in court against the suspects. There are still many violators of our environmental laws,” he said.

Malaya said police authorities may arrest without warrant any person who has committed or is committing illegal logging under Presidential Decree 705. -MDM, GMA News