More forest guards needed to stop illegal tree cutting

CEBU, Philippines - Talisay City Councilor Bernard Odilao has suggested increasing the number of forest guards to stop the illegal cutting of trees in upland sitio of Campinsa, barangay Manipis, Talisay City.

“Naa pa’y reports of illegal logging. Mga job order (contractual worker) ra may gibutang ron didto, sila ra puy bantayan sa mga badlungon,” said Odilao.

The councilor, who is chairman on council committee on environment, said he has already requested Mayor Socrates Fernandez to assign forest vanguards in sitio Campinsa, a part of the city’s vast timberland.

Odilao said presently the city’s forest vanguards are only deployed up to the area in barangay Lagtang.

The location of Campinsa, being about 14 kilometers from the national highway, may have hindered the guards from going to the mountainous area, he said.

The few job order employees of the city hall, meanwhile, are detailed until 5pm., and usually the cutting of trees are done during nighttime.

“Ang atong mga job order ra man puy bantayan ani nila,” the councilor said, adding that the culprits, to hide their crime, chip the trunk of a tree little by little until it gets too thin that wind can just blow it down.

He said that way when a tree falls down, the culprits who are not actually around when it happens, will not be seen by roving city hall personnel.

They would then pick the fallen tree on the dead of the night, when the city hall people have already gone home, he said.

Campinsa, which is part of the city’s huge timberland where a good strip of its watershed is located, has various decade-old trees.

Illegal tree cutters prefer the pine tree for its bark which is sold as fuel. (FREEMAN)