DENR sues town mayor, five others

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-7 has filed a complaint against Argao town Mayor Edsel Galeos and five others over the alleged illegal cutting of trees within a timberland area.

Galeos was sued for abuse of authority and for alleged violation of Sections 77 and 78 of Presidential Decree Number 705 as amended by Republic Act 7161 before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas.

Aside from Galeos, five laborers - Alex Birondo, Elbert Saniel, Arturo Bonachita, Jovani Espina, and Alan Reyes - were also sued.

At least two witnesses, who executed a joint affidavit, reportedly saw the accused in the act of cutting naturally grown and planted trees.

DENR-7 information officer Eddie Llamedo said the complaint stemmed from a site development project within a timberland area where at least 374 trees of various species with a combined volume of 7.583 cubic meters have been cut down.

The area has been proposed to be the site of an eco-tourism park in Barangay Jampang.

In their joint affidavit, Lucio Tampipi and Martino Camello, both CENRO Argao personnel, said that on March 20 at about 11:30 a.m., they caught the five laborers cutting the trees.

The affidavit added that “per inquiry made on the site, it was disclosed by the group (laborers) that the said area being developed will be utilized for eco-tourism of the municipality of Argao represented by Mayor Galeos who was responsible for the construction of road that involve illegal cutting of trees and destruction of forestland and its resources thereof.”

Llamedo said that based on the record of DENR-7’s Forest Management Services and CENRO Argao, no permit was issued for the cutting of trees or to the project.

He said that the area being developed for ecotourism project is within a classified timberland.

Section 77 of PD 705 or the Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines states “that any person who shall cut, gather, collect, removed timber or other forest products from any forest land, or timber from alienable or disposable public land, or from private land, without any authority, or possess timber or other forest products without the legal documents as required under existing forest laws and regulations, shall be punished with the penalties imposed under Articles 309 and 310 of the Revised Penal Code.”

The violation entails a fine of up to P20,000 and an imprisonment from six months to two years for each offense.

“In case the offender is a government official or employee, he shall, in addition to the above penalties, be deemed automatically dismissed from office and permanently disqualified from holding any elective or appointive position,” the law stated. — /LPM (FREEMAN)