DAVAO OCCIDENTAL — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Regions XI and XIII have mobilized confiscated and apprehended forest products for the rehabilitation of communities severely affected by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Davao Occidental, providing construction materials that will be used to help families rebuild damaged homes.
The assistance involved forest products consolidated by DENR field offices in the two regions and turned over to local government units for distribution to some of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake. The initiative forms part of the agency’s efforts to put confiscated and apprehended forest products to productive use, particularly in disaster response and community rehabilitation.
Under the directive of DENR XI Regional Executive Director Atty. Ma. Mercedes V. Dumagan, DENR XI consolidated a total of 11,602.0 board feet (bd ft) of forest products for assistance to affected communities. An initial 4,550.0 bd ft of lumber was donated to the Municipality of Sarangani on August 13, 2026, with Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Officer (MENRO) Graybert Malinog receiving the materials on behalf of Mayor Adelan de Arce.
The DENR XI donation consisted of 3,864.37 bd ft of Lauan lumber from the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Baganga and 686.63 bd ft of Tanguile and Binuang lumber from CENRO Manay.
The lumber was transported to Barangay Balangonan in Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental, for shipment to Sarangani. According to the DENR, the materials will be distributed to two severely affected barangays and used to support relief and rehabilitation activities following the earthquake.
DENR XIII turns over additional construction materials
DENR Region XIII also provided substantial assistance to Jose Abad Santos, turning over 9,019.55 bd ft of lumber and 3.10 cubic meters of Yakal poles on August 13.
The forest products were formally turned over by DENR XIII Technical Staff Ian Jenn Q. Yu to Jose Abad Santos MENRO Rodrigo B. Muda during an activity at Barangay Nuing. The turnover was witnessed by Municipal Councilors Roger Castro, Evelyn Aragoncillo, Ermelita G. Malaki and Monaliza E. Libron.
The donated materials are intended for distribution to the municipality’s most affected barangays, where they will be used in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of homes damaged by the earthquake and other natural calamities.
The transport of the materials presented logistical challenges because of the conditions affecting access to disaster-hit communities. Municipal officials led by Mayor Jason John Joyce coordinated with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Philippine Army, barangay officials and MENRO personnel to facilitate the movement of the forest products to their intended destinations.
The coordinated effort was aimed at ensuring that the donated materials could reach communities where they were most urgently needed despite transportation difficulties.
MENRO Muda expressed his appreciation to DENR XIII Regional Executive Director Ma. Theresa J. Allen for the assistance, emphasizing the importance of the materials to families beginning the difficult process of rebuilding after the earthquake.
He said the donated forest products would contribute significantly to the recovery of affected households as residents work to reconstruct their homes and restore their communities.
Confiscated forest products redirected to disaster recovery
The use of confiscated and apprehended forest products for disaster rehabilitation underscores the DENR’s efforts to ensure that materials seized through forest law enforcement operations can be redirected for legitimate public purposes.
Rather than remaining in storage, the forest products consolidated by DENR XI and XIII are being made available to communities facing immediate reconstruction needs, subject to the agency’s procedures for their disposition and donation.
For earthquake-affected families, the materials provide an important source of construction resources at a time when rebuilding homes and basic community facilities can place additional financial pressure on households already dealing with disaster-related losses.
The DENR assistance also highlights the importance of coordination among national government agencies, local governments, the military, public works personnel and barangay authorities in moving relief and rehabilitation materials into areas where access and transportation remain challenging.
Through the mobilization of the confiscated and apprehended forest products, DENR XI and DENR XIII are supporting ongoing recovery efforts in Davao Occidental while ensuring that materials recovered through forest protection and enforcement activities are redirected toward a public and humanitarian purpose.