BEN SERRANO
Contributing editor
BUTUAN CITY - Four non government organization officials and members claimed they have been getting death threats since December last year including a botched ambush after reporting rampant illegal logging activities in their area in Barangay Camp Edwards, Alegria, Surigao del Norte.
In an exclusive interview this morning upon their request, Teresita Rosales, Barangay Camp Edwards Kagawads Marisita Gloria and Vicente Pegarro, Jr. told this writer that since the failed ambuscade set up by armed men that could have killed them all last December 2008 they have been living in fear that disturbed their once normal lives.
The other NGO worker who is also getting death threats but is not present during interview due availability of transport fares is Antonio Rosales.
The four have reported and blotter the death threats to Alegria Municipal Police Office.
They said they have been asking assistance from authorities particularly from the local DENR and the PNP officials and personnel, “but all we’ve got were promises and some of them even blamed us of why we fight the high and the mighty in illegal logging business”, the three chorused.
“Their initial reactions discouraged us because they are suppose to uphold laws and punish violators and go against those who plunder our environment that’s why we decided to seek help from the media hoping media can help us”, the three told this writer in a tape recoded interview.
Rosales, Gloria and Pegarro are officials of DENR-created Bantay Gubat and a Community-Based Resource Management Project (CBRMP), a project funded by World Bank to elicit united community efforts to protect environment while maximizing, conserving and managing local resources for sustainable livelihood programs.
Aside from being barangay officials of Barangay Camp Edwards, Marisita Gloria and Vicente Pegarro, Jr. are also active with non government organizations, Barangay Camp Edwards Upland Farmers Association and Bantay Gubat.
“We are supposed to be protected by the DENR because we are their creation notwithstanding our efforts to save environment but now we are being hunted by armed goons of illegal loggers and we are not getting protection from the government, we are pleading to you Mr. Secretary to help us”, the three in their signed prepared letter to DENR Secretary Lito Atienza.
They added that what happened to them now may discourage other people’s organization, individuals and even the government created anti-illegal logging groups to wage war against those who plundered environment for selfish motives and greed.
They claimed their agonizing experiences started when they cause the confiscation of some 858.2 board feet of illegally sawn lumber of hard wood species such as tanguile and lawaan last November 20, 2008 in Barangay Camp Edwards public timberland area.
In their sworn affidavits furnished to this writer alleged the cutting of the sawn lumbers were illegal since it do not have corresponding government permits and since they were hard woods of endangered species particularly Tanguile, it is banned from cutting.
“What is ironic is that DENR personnel who are supposed to lead the confiscation process were not present last November 20 but only law enforcement personnel as they only arrived to Camp Edwards and signed documents of confiscation only last December 2, 2008, some thirteen days later”, Teresita Rosales, President of Camp Edwards Upland Farmers Association (CEUFA), a Community-Based Resources Management funded project alleged.
Rosales claimed they have footage of the video they took when the DENR personnel conducted confiscation inventory of the illegally sawn lumbers whose activity must have been conducted during actual confiscation last November 20, 2008.
Rosales claimed she is fighting illegal cutting of trees within their 808 hectares of CBRMP area, “because it will caused flooding and will destroy our fruit trees and Falcata Tree plantations comprising nearly 578 hectares for our livelihood since they are all foreign funded” Rosales added.
Last year, another two NGO workers from Butuan City also get death threats after the two reported an on-going transportation or towing of illegally cut timber from Agusan del Sur floating along Agusan River towards wood firms in Butuan City for delivery.
The workers alleged those hundreds of logs floating Agusan River were not only manipulated in documents because it is wrong source but it deprived the cash-strapped Philippine Government of due taxes because the volume were allegedly tampered.
After confidentially reporting the on-going illegal activities hapening to a local CENRO officer, the two NGO workers the following morning got a call from an unnumbered mobile phone from an alleged influential illegal logger who even boasted that even how many times illegal logging activities will be reported in Caraga Region it will not be listened.
“Because our connections reach up to high places in government ", the illegal logging financer allegedly was quoted as saying while scolding the two environmental watch group workers on mobile phone.
The two wondered how the influential illegal logger got their phones when it was only the CENRO officer knew it.
The two are now nowhere to be found.