by Peter A. Balocnit  
TABUK, Kalinga, March 29 – Elements of the 77th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army based at barangay Bantay here confiscated recently 2,920 board feet of narra at the Calanan junction road.
 
The seizure of the prohibited forest product is the first act of security officers carrying the mandate of President Aquino in Executive Order No. 23 banning cutting and harvesting of timber in natural and residual forests.

 
According to reports, the military acted on a tip that a white elf was loaded with 255 narra lumber flitch being transported along the Pinukpuk-Tabuk national road .
 
Upon confirmation of the information, elements of the 77th IB, 501st Brigade conducted a checkpoint at the Calanan junction here and apprehended said contraband. However, the driver escaped, the report said.
 
The contraband, with an estimated value of P145,000 (local price) was loaded in a Mitsubishi canter with plate number THW 944.
The items were turned over to the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office here for safekeeping pending the administrative adjudication of the case.
 
Bonifacio Manganip, Forest Protection officer of the CENRO said their office posted a notice to the public calling on owners or claimants of said sawn narra lumber to claim the same within 15 days and bring along documents showing proof of ownership and permit allowing cutting and transport.

 
“If no claimant appears after the 15-day claiming period, CENRO will issue a notice of hearing for administrative adjudication and if warranted, recommend forfeiture of the items in favor of the government,” he said.
 
As provided in EO 23, the Armed Forces of the Philippines is a member of the anti-illegal logging task force organized in every province together with the DENR as lead agency; Department of Interior and Local Government, and the Philippine National Police. *(PIA-CAR/Kalinga)