Talisay mayor linked to illegal tree cutting in Manipis watershed
TALISAY City Mayor Johnny V. delos Reyes, his brother and a job order worker were accused of being responsible for cutting down five mahogany trees in a watershed area in sitio Campensa, barangay Manipis in Talisay City.
Councilor Antonio Bacaltos said he received a complaint from Leo Togonon, president of Agri-based Rural Technology On Hilly Upland Resources (Arthur Farmers Organization) on the incident.
Bacaltos said he and the council’s environment committee that he chairs inspected the site and learned that the five big mahogany trees were transported by a Talisay City government-owned truck.
Bacaltos said the principal of the Campensa elementary school asked the city government to trim the branches of one mahogany tree that encroached on the school’s roof.
But he said barangay Manipis chairperson Emmie Cabiluna asked that the mahogany tree be cut using a chain saw.
He later told reporters that Togonon asked the people responsible for cutting down the trees and they introduced themselves as the mayor’s staff.
Togonon said he identified two of them as Joel delos Reyes, the mayor’s brother who heads the Talisay City Hall’s motorpool and a certain Eugene, a job order worker employed under the mayor’s office.
Togonon asked the loggers for the DENR permits but they failed to present any, Bacaltos said.
The councilor filed a resolution asking the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to investigate the incident.
The mayor said he was asked by residents in the area to cut the tree since they are buiding a reservoir there.
Reyes said their request was to cut down the tree near the school.
“I don’t know on how many trees were cut and it was the city government vehicle which transported the logs because my vehicle cannot transport it,” he said. The mayor said he will face any complaints against him.
Cabiluna told reporters that she couldn’t remember requesting the city government to cut down the mahogany tree.
She said the request may have come from barangay councilman Eddie Abalo.
Cabiluna said the trees stood in the watershed area since she was married in 1975.
DENR Information Officer Eddie Llamedo said they may file charges against the people responsible for cutting down the five mahogany trees.
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