Rizal town mayor linked to illegal logging

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) tagged the mayor of E. Rodriguez (formerly Montalban), Rizal yesterday as being involved in illegal logging at the Angat watershed.

Regidor de Leon, the DENR’s Region 3 (Central Luzon) executive director, recommended the filing of administrative and criminal charges against Mayor Pedro Cuerpo for allegedly issuing a permit to transport illegally cut red and white lauan and narra timber worth about P1.5 million that was confiscated last June 22.

A composite team of police and environment officers seized the 1,062 "hot" logs.

"Mayor Cuerpo is culpable for usurpation of authority in violation of Article 238 of the Revised Penal Code," De Leon said. 

He said the DENR is the sole government agency authorized to process and issue permits to transport timber and other forest products.

If found guilty of the charges, Cuerpo faces a minimum jail sentence of five years and could be banned from holding public office.

"We are also looking into his liability for violation of Presidential Decree 705 (Forestry Code) for illegal logging considering that the document he signed resulted in the unauthorized transport of illegally sourced wood products," he said.

De Leon said the arrested suspects, who were caught cutting the "hot" logs using unregistered chainsaws, identified a certain Joel Cocoy of Rodriguez, Rizal as their financier.

Last June 23, a criminal complaint was filed against Cocoy with the San Jose del Monte City prosecutor’s office for violation of the Forestry Code based on the affidavits of the suspects who themselves were charged for violation of the Chainsaw Act (Republic Act 9175).

RA 9175 imposes a jail term of up to eight years and fines ranging from P1,000 to P50,000.

De Leon said Cuerpo allegedly issued the undated "authorization" to a certain Carlito Ciriaco "to haul/pick up assorted logs from Barangay Puray (in E. Rodriguez)."

The seized timber was to be used by Cuerpo’s office supposedly for the "manufacture of school chairs at the Pamantasan ng Montalban."

A subsequent check showed that the illegally cut red and white lauan and narra timber came from the Angat pilot reforestation project in Barangay Isidro, Tabang town, particularly in Sitios Ilas, Lubog and Inuman, which can only be reached through E. Rodriguez via Barangay Puray.