Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines – May 18, 2025
A joint operation by government authorities resulted in the seizure of over Php 1.7 million worth of alleged illegal forest products and the apprehension of a ten-wheeler winged-van truck at the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) in Macabalan, Cagayan de Oro City.
The successful operation was conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Regional Office 10, through the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office of Initao (CENRO Initao), in coordination with the Philippine National Police-Maritime (PNP-Maritime) Misamis Oriental and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Northern Mindanao.
The enforcement action was prompted by a report received by the DENR 10 Enforcement Division indicating that a truck bearing plate number CBF 1201 was transporting undocumented forest products from Magpet, North Cotabato. CENRO Initao was immediately alerted, leading to a swift response and deployment of a composite team.
The vehicle was intercepted at Gate 3 of the PPA Macabalan port. Upon inspection, the team apprehended the driver, Arjay Bantilan, and the truckman, John Ray Lopez. Although Bantilan presented a Certificate of Verification (COV) from CENRO Matalam, he failed to produce a mandatory Certificate of Timber/Lumber Origin (CTO), a key requirement under Philippine forestry laws.
Authorities issued a Temporary/Provisional Apprehension Receipt for the violation of Section 77 of Presidential Decree No. 705 (Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines), as amended by Executive Order No. 277 and renumbered by Republic Act No. 7161.
DENR 10 Regional Executive Director (RED) Henry A. Adornado personally inspected the seized truck and observed the inventory and scaling process at the PNP-Maritime Headquarters. He directed the Monitoring and Enforcement Section team of CENRO Initao to ensure precise documentation of the volume and species of the confiscated lumber and to pursue proper legal procedures for filing charges.
A total of 521 pieces of Narra lumber, with a volume of 14,804.33 board feet and an estimated market value of Php 1,776,520, were confiscated. The truck used to transport the lumber is estimated to be worth Php 1,200,000.
RED Adornado lauded the cooperation among agencies involved in the operation. “This effort is a testament to our collective dedication to safeguarding our environment and natural resources for future generations,” he said.
The confiscated lumber and the vehicle were temporarily placed under the custody of the PNP-Maritime for safekeeping, further inventory, and scaling, pending the filing of appropriate charges.