BAUKO, Mountain Province—Five persons were arrested and more than P500,000 worth of assorted lumber and by-products were recovered in a five-hectare suspected illegal logging site in Sitio Bataan, Barangay Balintaugan here Saturday.
Chief Superintendent Ullysses Abellera, acting regional director of the Police Regional Office in the Cordillera, identified the individuals who were invited for questioning by police operatives as Carlos Kimakim Combisen, 55; Ariel Bateg Bomogao, 36; Jerry Magnanang Padingil, 23; Joel Magnanang Padingil, 26; and William Bistayok Daping, 49. All of them were from Mountain Province.
On the other hand, the confiscated lumber had a total volume of 13,582.99 board feet composed of 2,401 pieces in assorted sizes. They had a total market value of P380,323.67.
Authorities also confiscated 34 sacks of charcoal amounting to over P100,000.
Also recovered in the site were two chainsaws and three guide bars which were used by the loggers in the perpetration of the crime.
Officials and employees of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office in Sabangan conducted surveillance operations through several choppers from the Philippine Air Force that led to the discovery of the site.
Authorities immediately sought the support of police personnel from the Mountain Province Police Office that resulted in the arrest of the men and confiscation of the items.
The arrested individuals and the confiscated pieces of evidence were subsequently brought to the Mountain Province Police headquarters for documentation and safekeeping awaiting the filing of appropriate charges against them.
“We call on our people living in the watershed area to be vigilant on the activities of illegal loggers and immediately report to local and police officials the existence of such illegal logging activities so that they will be arrested and illegal logging will be curbed,” Mayor Abraham B. Akilit stressed.