P.5M Lumber Seized in Talisay

At least P500,000 worth of illegal lumber being carried by a marine boat reportedly from Socorro, Island, Surigao was seized yesterday dawn by Talisay City’s Fisheries Sea Ecological Care (Fiseca) in Sitio Romahan, Barangay Dumlog.

Fiseca, the city’s bantay dagat, identified the boat captain as Danilo Lampad, 49, and his crew Nesan Lampad, 18; Felix Lampad, 21; Ronil Balbareno, 34; Junior Gelsano, 42 and Rolando Angcob, 42. All six are residents of Socorro, Surigao Island.

Dennis Reyes of Fiseca said they were patrolling the seas when they noticed a boat being chased by two rubber boats in the waters of Talisay. They later on found out that the two rubber boats were from the Special Warfare Group (SWAG), which were trying to apprehend the boat with the suspicion that it was carrying something illegal as it ignored them when they told it to stop.

Reyes said the SWAG members had to fire warning shots at the suspects, forcing them to stop. Once subdued, the SWAG team turned over the suspects to the Fiseca and informed them that the suspects dropped their cargo in another area.

Fiseca then brought the suspects and their boat to their headquarters in Barangay Cansojong and called up the Talisay City Police and the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) representatives.

Angcob, when interviewed, said they were in Talisay City to buy animal waste to be used as fertilizer. He denied they had illegal lumbers with them. Greg dela Torre, head of Fiseca said the suspects failed to present papers on the seized lumbers, hence they are set to file criminal charges against them.

Jun Cañete of CENRO said they will take into custody the lumbers, which he estimated to be worth around P500,000.