4 nabbed for illegal logs; vice mayor to be charged

KABUGAO, Apayao – Four persons were arrested here for transporting illegally cut logs at Paco Valley and were later charged in court for violation of Presidential Decree 705 otherwise known as the Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines.

This, even as the vice mayor of this town will be slapped with charges for intervening in the case.

Nabbed by police on June 4 were Freddie Cadao, owner of the seized lumbers and his brother Allen; Rogelio Udaundo, driver and Jeffrey Agudelo, helper, all residents of Poblacion, Kabugao.

Police investigation bared a police team led by Inspectors James D. Acod and Leonard A. Danasen saw a truck speeding along Sitio Angupan, Paco Valley prompting them to flag down the vehicle.

Upon inspection, the vehicle was found loaded with red lawaan and tangili lumbers of assorted dimensions with a total volume of 1, 839.66 board feet.

Also found was a chainsaw machine. The occupants of the vehicle failed to show pertinent papers of the lumbers and so they were placed under arrest.

Apprehended suspects were brought to the Regional Public Safety Battalion Patrol Base at Malama, Conner, Apayao.

The arresting team was preparing to turn-over the vehicle with the confiscated lumbers and chainsaw to the office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources when Kabugao Vice-mayor Roosevelt Alitan intervened by removing two batteries of the confiscated vehicle and left.

The vehicle together and confiscated lumber and chainsaw were officially turned over to the Environment officer of Luna town in the province where inventory was done in the presence of arresting officers.

Charges were filed with the Apayao Provincial Prosecutor against the arrested persons while a separate charges will be filed against the vice-mayor.