Sierra Madre folk urged not to vote for illegal loggers

Lucena City, Quezon , Philippines  – The left-leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Friday urged voters along the Sierra Madre mountain range to reject politicians running in the May 2010 elections who have tie ups with big time logging syndicates.

Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap issued the statement a day after concerned groups and local government officials confirmed the sudden increased logging activities in Sierra Madre which are allegedly tied with May 2010 elections.

“In Sierra Madre, voters must punish those behind the unbridled large-scale logging adventures in Quezon and nearby provinces such as Rizal and Aurora provinces. We ask the vigilant citizenry to name these politicians and let them suffer the biggest electoral humiliation in their entire political career,” the Pamalakaya leader said in a press statement.

Hicap said it is time to name these big logging syndicates supporting the candidacy of powerful politicians in South and North Quezon, as he appealed to concerned groups and environmental activists to disclose which among these companies are operating and who their backers are.     – Michelle Zoleta