Councilor arrested for killing monkey

CEBU, Philippines - A councilor of the western town of Ronda was arrested by the police after he and his companion allegedly shot a monkey dead at a protected area in Malabuyoc, a town located five towns away from Ronda.

Councilor Alfredo Villafuerte, 68, and his companion, Lucino Carreon, 50, are facing charges for violating Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act. They were arrested yesterday morning.

No less than Malabuyoc Mayor Narciso Creus who was with the police during the arrest ordered the filing of charges against the two. Under the law, violators can post a P10,000 bail for their temporary liberty.

Villafuerte and Carreon were arrested after members of the Malabuyoc Police saw them with guns and a sack that contained a dead monkey. A licensed M-4 Armalite with 36 rounds of ammunition was confiscated from Villafuerte while a 22 Armscor Magnum rifle with five bullets was seized from Carreon. Police are yet to verify if Carreon’s gun is licensed.

PO3 Protacio Tago Jr. of the Malabuyoc Police said their men proceeded to Sitio Mainit in Barangay Montaneza, a mountain barangay, after they received reports of men hunting wild animals. The barangay is the location of the Mainit Hotspring, a local tourist attraction.

“Pag-abot sa kapulisan wala na naabtan, duna lay sako nga naay sulod dako-dako nga unggoy,” Tago told The FREEMAN in a phone interview.

Tago said the two men had said hunting is only a hobby.

The subject area is a timberland with seven jungle waterfalls, which was developed by the local government and the Department of Tourism (DOT) 7 recently as an eco-tourism site. The town organized the community while DOT provided training in protecting and restoring the area.

Creus said the area used to be an endemic monkey colony but because of rampant poaching and hunting, the wild animals are now gone.

Malabuyoc tourism officer Eric Ybas also said that aside from monkeys, the town is also losing its endemic birds.

Police are now coordinating with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the proper disposition of the monkey. —/JMO (FREEMAN)