DAVAO CITY –— Joint operatives led by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) recently padlocked and issued closure orders to property owners who built their summer and vacation hosues in the mountainous areas of Sitio Namnam, Barangay Marilog of Marilog District, which is considered as ancestral domain.
As it is now, many speculative property buyers swooped Marilog District, a highland with cool climate located some 62.7 kilometers away from City Hall and build their summer and vacation houses without securing governmetn documenst like building permit and the speculators even cut trees without the permit from the environment department.
The area where some resorts and vacations houses are built is considered a protected area under the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act or Republic Act No. 8371 which protects the rights of the indigenous peoples in the countryand only the tribal council has the authority to give a green light through the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP). Under the law no one is allowed to illegally occupy their properties.
Illegally taking forest products constitute a violation to Section 77 of PD 705 or Forestry Code of the Philippines as amended by RA 7161 penalizing possession of timber or other forest products without the legal documents required and RA 460 penalizing the illegal operations of a sawmill without a permit to operate, thereby authorizing the confiscation of illegally cut, gathered, removed and possessed forest products, and granting rewards to informers of violations of forestry laws, rules and regulations.
In a press statement the DENR-Davao region said when the operatives arrived in the area on November 24, they were able to confiscate 157 pcs. or 3,069.67 bd. ft. of assorted Lauan and tanguile species in lumber and flitches with an estimated market value of Php 107, 438.45 along the 23 pieces of equipment/implements including assorted power wood working tools, flywheel, circular saw, and combustion engines (used to run the bandsaw & circular saw) with an estimated value of Php 78,000 were seized during an inter-agency raid.
The forest products were illegally obtained by individuals who claimed to be the owners of the parcel of land which the authorities through the press statement said “This is on top of its violation for putting it up within the premises of an area protected by IPRA.”
Based on the circumstances, the DENR-Davao in a report revealed that the illegal mini-sawmill has been dismantled while a case has already filed at the City Prosecutor’s office against the nabbed respondents in the name of Jerry M. Aldevera, John Jagonia and Thomas Bautista.
Further, the said illegal structure was sealed by the Office of the City Building Official with a notice of violation pursuant to Sec. 207 of PD 1096 or the National Building Code of the Philippines.
The activty was led by the DENR in coordination with the Office of the City Building Official (OCBO) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) alongside the Philippine National Police (PNP), 27th IB of the Philippine Army, National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP), Matigsalug-Manobo Tribal Council of Elders/Leaders Inc., Obu-Manuvu Ancestral Domain Tribal Council of Elders/Leaders, Public Safety and Security Office (PSSO) and Brgy. Officials of Marilog.-Editha Z. Caduaya
