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Acting Ombudsman Casimiro orders the filing of criminal charges against ex-Rizal mayor, engineer for illegally cut timber
07 June 2011, source: Ombudsman Website

Acting Ombudsman Orlando C. Casimiro ordered the filing of criminal charges against a former mayor and an engineer in Rizal province for illegal possession of forest products worth more than P9-M.

Ordered charged for violation of Section 77 of P.D. 705, as amended by Executive Order No. 277 and Republic Act 7161, otherwise known as the Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines, were past Rodriguez municipal mayor Pedro Cuerpo and Engr. Aristotle Cruz, OIC, Rodriguez Municipal Motor Pool.

The case stemmed from the complaint filed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer (DENR-CENRO) on October 19, 2005.

DENR-CENRO alleged that on June 20, 2005, it received a memorandum from CENRO informing the officer-in-charge of Montalban Multi-Purpose Center and Team Leader of Patrol Sector No.1 regarding the presence of illegally cut timber products stockpiled inside the Rodriguez slaughterhouse in Barangay San Jose.

They conducted a surveillance/ verification of the report and eventually secured a search warrant from San Mateo Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Elizabeth Balquin-Reyes.

In the course of the implementation of the search warrant, fresh cut manufactured timber products (tanguile and lauan) consisting of 4,066 pieces with a volume of 28,050 broad feet amounting to more than P9-M were seized under the possession of Cruz inside the Motor Pool and not inside the slaughterhouse.

Cruz admitted that the said products were brought from the mountain of Barangay Rodriguez which was delivered in June 2005 to the Motor Pool.

According to the complaint, the DENR was not able to haul the timber products due to the intervention of Cuerpo.

The complaint likewise claimed that the seized sawn logs, accessories such as tools and equipment including showa bandsaw 30” diameter, cutter plainer, electric motor, compressor and drill press were used in manufacturing school armchairs without the permit, license or legal documents from the DENR.

In its 17-page resolution, the Ombudsman stated that “case records readily show that there was irregularity in the act of the respondents in using illegally cut timber in manufacturing school armchairs.”

The anti-graft office said that only the DENR has the exclusive authority to confiscate illegally cut logs.

It averred that the forestry laws dictates that, “All seized/ confiscated conveyances shall be declared forfeited in favor of the government…which can be used at the disposition of the DENR in forest protection and development activities or be disposed through public bidding by the Secretary of the Regional Offices as the case may be…”

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