PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur — Law enforcement authorities arrested 11 individuals in an intensified crackdown against illegal logging in Sitio Taonaga, Barangay Magsaysay, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, on Wednesday afternoon, October 1, 2025.
At around 2:10 p.m., joint operatives of the 1st Agusan del Sur Provincial Mobile Force Company (ADSPMFC), together with personnel from Prosperidad Municipal Police Station, the 8th Special Forces Company, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources–CENRO, caught the suspects in the act of cutting down protected tree species.
The operation led to the confiscation of three chainsaws, one Kenbo 16HP motor, one 12-inch circular saw with two pump belts, and illegally cut forest resources, including nine yakal trees, one Toog tree, and seven white Lauan trees. The seized timber had a combined volume of 37.02 cubic meters, with an estimated market value of ₱108,810.00.
Authorities said the arrest underscores their sustained efforts to curb rampant illegal logging activities in the province, which continue to threaten biodiversity, watershed areas, and indigenous communities relying on forest resources for survival.
The suspects are now under police custody while charges for violation of forestry and environmental protection laws are being prepared against them.
Police urged the public to remain vigilant and to report similar environmental crimes to help safeguard Agusan del Sur’s remaining forest cover.