TALISAY City Councilor Antonio Bacaltos will ask the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – 7 to provide personnel to guard the timberland in sitio Campensa, barangay Manipis, Talisay City.
The councilor will write to the environment department about this request in response to allegations that Joel de los Reyes, brother of Mayor Johnny V. de los Reyes, had cut mahogany trees in the protected area.
Bacaltos heads the council committee on environment. He inspected the area after getting a report from Leo Togonon, president of a farmer’s organization.
The city government has assigned a forest guard in the area.
“Ako gyu’ng gusto ma 24 hours ang ilang bantay kay ang mga mamutulay ug kahoy diha man molihok sa gabii,” Bacaltos said. (I want them to guard the place round the clock because illegal activities happen usually at night.)
Togonon and other residents of Campensa claimed the mayor’s brother led the cutting of mahogany trees. Bacaltos delivered a privilege speech on the issue and submitted a report to the DENR.
Trees were reportedly cut on March 1 and 2 at around 2 p.m. and on March 5 at 8:30 p.m. These were transported by a government-owned vehicle.
The mayor’s brother denied the farmer’s claim, saying he never visited sitio Campesa, but a resident, Dorofina Silva, 75, confirmed that Joel came to their place and introduced himself.
Joel allegedly told Silva that they will be cutting the trees as these were eyesores. Remejia Bahi, another resident, said Joel arrived in their place when the cutting of the trees was done.
Barangay councilman Antonio Jaberina, chairman of the committee on education, said he sent a request to the mayor’s office for the cutting of trees in the school premises as these posed danger to students.
Days after, he was informed that personnel from the mayor’s office came to cut the trees but included those outside the school premises.
Jaberina admitted that he failed to get a permit, thinking it is the duty of the city hall to get one.
The mayor, on the other hand, said he just acted on the request thinking the barangay officials already got a permit.
De los Reyes denied any hand in the cutting of the trees outside the school premises.
Marciano Silva, a staff member of the mayor, said he was sent to Campensa to cut the trees with Leklek Arana and Eugene Arana, his fellow workers.
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