TALACOGON, Agusan del Sur, (PNA) — The military on Monday turned over to environmental officials here some 15 cubic meters of illegally cut logs intercepted in the hinterlands of San Luis in Agusan del Sur.
Lt. Col. Jose Leonard B. Gille, commander of the Army’s 26th Infantry Batallion based in Agusan del Sur, said that the government troopers intercepted the illegally cut logs of the “Lauan” species worth P12,000 in the village of Santa Ines Saturday afternoon.
He said that the troops also recovered another 340 illegally cut logs of mixed species of still undetermined amount Monday morning.
Gille said that the military has stepped up its campaign against illegal logging in Agusan del Sur in cooperation with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in the province.
Gille said that the military suspected that the communist New People’s Army (NPA) in cahoots with unscrupulous business groups were behind the illegal logging activities in the Agusan provinces.
The military officer also urged civilians and concerned citizens to report to authorities any suspected illegal logging activities in the area.
He said that the government would file appropriate charges to those found engaged in the illegal logging activity in the province.