Lumber worth almost P800T seized

CEBU, Philippines - A truckload of teak lumber worth almost P800,000 was confiscated by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, reportedly the biggest confiscation in two years.

The lumber was seized after the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office Cebu City intercepted a trailer truck with plate number GXU-340. The truck contained not less than 917 pieces of teak (tectona grandis) lumber whose quantity is equal to 8,732 board feet.

CENRO estimates the lumber to be worth around P785,880.

The truck was intercepted just after it disembarked from a roll on – roll off vessel at the Ouano Wharf in Mandaue City at 1 p.m. on April 3.

The lumber was also seized due to “inconsistencies of information discovered in the transport or shipment documents.”

Raul Pasoc, CENRO’s chief forest management sector forester, said a close review of the transport papers also showed that the truck had wrong plate numbers as indicated in the self-monitoring form (SMF) control number ALB-032814-06 which could be RLX-975 or CUX-599.

Inspection also showed sacks of charcoal to be transported; expired validity date from March 29, 2014 to April 2, 2014; and a different name of consignee – Universal Lumber in the self-monitoring form while Provera Solutions Corporation in the inspection report.

The four-member team that conducted the investigation included Pasoc, Nolito Lapinig, Danilo Orbasido, and Lucio Canete Jr.

Moreover, the SMF issued by Officer-in-Charge (OIC) CENR Officer Albuera, Leyte Eugene B. Mozo is not applicable with teak trees since these are considered as premium hardwood species, Central Visayas DENR added.

A special private land timber permit (SPLTP) should have been secured instead of SMF to be issued by the Regional Executive Director (RED) for volume not exceeding 10 cubic meters and DENR Secretary for volume in excess of 10 cubic meters as stipulated in the DENR Administrative Order No. 2000-01 dated February 28, 2000.

SPLTP is a permit issued to a landowner specifically for the cutting, gathering, and utilization of premium hardwood species including Benguet pine, both planted and naturally-grown trees.

Environment authorities believed the lumber originated from Barangay Puertobello, Merida, Leyte.

The lumber with the conveyance (trailer) has been deposited at CENRO Cebu City for safekeeping to be used in the administrative seizure proceedings.

DENR 7 RED Isabelo Montejo, in a statement, emphasized that supporting documents of transport of forest products must be consistent and truthful in accordance with the law and procedural requirements.

“It has to be stressed here that transport of forest products should be covered with original documents for monitoring and controlling purposes and the entries thereat should be consistent with the actual kind of species and quantity of forest products and other details,” Montejo said.

A notice of hearing will be sent to Mozo for administrative proceedings 15 days from the confiscation in violation of section 77 of the Presidential Decree 705 as amended by Executive Order No. 277 and renumbered by Republic Act 7161.

Teakwood, strong with good dimensional stability and average hardness, is commonly used for shipbuilding and in the manufacture of fine furniture, doors and window frames, wharves, bridges, cooling-tower louvres, flooring, paneling, railway cars, and venetian blinds. —/JMO (FREEMAN)