29 tons of mangrove bark seized

Elements from the National Anti-Environment Crime Task Force (NAECTAF), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Intelligence Unit of the Philippine Navy seized 49 tons of mangrove tanbark on board a ship in Zamboanga City.

In his report to Environment Secretary and NAECTAF head Angelo Reyes, NAECTAF deputy chief Undersecretary Roy Kyamko said the seized cargo was either smuggled from Malaysia or had originated from illegally cut mangrove trees in Palawan and Tawi-Tawi.

The hot cargo, consigned to a certain Lucas Datoy of Talon-Talon, Zamboanga City, was aboard M/L Burhana II when authorities, headed by Lt. Commodore Lloyd Casis, intercepted the vessel at the Caldera Point, some seven kilometers away from Zamboanga’s coastline.

The crackdown on the hot cargo was triggered by reports that harvesting of "Tangal," a local mangrove species, was rampant in Palawan and Tawi-Tawi provinces.

Tangal’s bark is widely used in the Visayas and Mindanao for making native coconut wine "tuba" and as dye for tanning leather products.

Forestry officers said producing such volume of tanbark strips would require some 20 hectares of mature mangrove trees.

Authorities are still determining the value of the cargo. The seized cargo was purportedly covered with a Certificate of Origin (CO) for minor forest products issued last Jan. 30, 2007 by the Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer (CENRO).