DENR to turn over all hot logs to DepEd for use in schools

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan – As part of the new administration’s intensified anti-illegal logging drive, Environment officials have been ordered to turn over all confiscated illegal lumber or logs in the region to the Department of Education (DepEd).

Forester Benjamin Tumaliuan, regional executive director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), yesterday said that all seized lumber have to be donated for DepEd to address the shortage of classrooms, chairs and desks in public schools.

The order includes those confiscated logs still in the possession of other law enforcement agencies like the police and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

“We have already directed our personnel to facilitate the turnover of these forest products which have been in their custody to DepEd for them to be utilized in its school building program,” he said.

For the police and NBI, they have to turnover first their seized lumber to the DENR for disposal.

The order was in compliance with the directive of new DENR Secretary Ramon Paje for all seized illegal logs in the country to be donated to the DepEd for the construction of school buildings, chairs, desks and other related facilities. The order, Tumaliuan added, is also part of the new government’s intensified drive, as well as well-defined program, to totally eradicate illegal logging in the country. 

The DENR, he said, can now proceed with the implementation of the directive even without the usual nod of the National Resources Development Corp. (NRDC), a government entity tasked to undertake bidding or disposal of confiscated forest products. 

The said order, however, does not include the lumber under court litigation or those that have earlier been legally donated to other entities like local government units for their development projects.

Tumaliuan said the move was also to discourage secret financiers of illegal logging from participating in biddings for confiscated logs to recover their lumber and sell them for a higher profit.

DENR sources said that Cagayan Valley has the record of most confiscated illegally-cut logs during recent years, especially Isabela where at least 1.5 million board feet of lumber were seized during the term of former governor Grace Padaca.

“We will be using these lumber for the construction of school buildings and other educational facilities, as well as housing for our indigent constituents,” said new Isabela Gov. Faustino Dy III.