Army, police officials confirm illegal tree-cutting in Casecnan

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya — An Army colonel and a police major, whose former areas of jurisdiction cover the mountain villages where illegal cutting of trees is allegedly becoming rampant, confirmed the existence of the illegal activity there.

Chief Inspector Teodorico Santos, former intelligence chief and head of the police mobile group here, disclosed the other day that illegal tree-cutting is really existing in the villages in Alfonso Castañeda town. He said the perpetrators were apprehended during his time but the ‘illegal loggers’ would just resume their activity after hibernating for a few weeks.

"You can’t just stop them. These illegal loggers would continue their normal activity after hibernating for a few weeks following police operations," said Santos, now assigned at Camp Crame’s  civilian protection and security group.

For his part, Colonel Dacy Mariñas, former commander of the Army’s 54th Infantry Battalion here, also confirmed the presence of illegal loggers in Alfonso Castañeda, especially in Barangays Pelaway and Lipuga as well as Barangay Talbec in Dupax del Sur town, which are the major impact zones of the Casecnan Multi-purpose Irrigation and Power Project.

The other two barangays within the Casecnan impact zone are Abuyo and Abaca of Alfonso Castañeda and Dupax del Sur, respectively. These areas are within the protected forest reserves where the multi-million-peso Casecnan project derives water for irrigation and power source.

Mariñas said that during his stint here, his office had received reports of incidents of ‘carabao logging’ in the area.

Santos and Mariñas said that the illegal cutting of trees have continue to persist.

Earlier, former Nueva Vizcaya Rep. Carlos Padilla also cited incidents of massive illegal cutting of trees in the Casecnan watershed, wherein thousands of board feet of hardwood are being smuggled daily.

Last week, Gov. Luisa Cuaresma expressed alarm over the reported illegal cutting of trees in the Casecnan area. — Charlie Lagasca