MANILA — Authorities seized nearly ₱2 million worth of undocumented lumber and arrested a suspect in a swift joint operation that highlights the government’s intensified crackdown on illegal logging in the country.
On May 13, 2026, personnel from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) raided a storage area in San Isidro, Northern Samar, where they caught a man known only by his alias “Wil,” a local resident.
The operation yielded 258 pieces of assorted sawn lumber — mostly premium Yakal and Lauan species — totaling 7,041.41 board feet, with an estimated market value of ₱1,960,896. Authorities also confiscated an unfinished pump boat made from the illegal materials and two chainsaws believed to have been used in the activity. The suspect failed to present any required permits or documents proving legal acquisition and transport of the forest products.
The raid stemmed from intelligence reports about undocumented lumber storage. San Isidro Municipal Police Station officers, together with DENR-CENRO Catarman staff, conducted on-site validation that led to the discovery and immediate confiscation.
PNP Chief Police General Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. welcomed the successful operation and issued a strong warning.
“The protection of our forests is a shared responsibility. We will continue to pursue violations of environmental laws to safeguard our natural resources for future generations,” he said.
He added in Filipino: “Mahigpit ang ating pagpapatupad ng batas upang mapangalagaan ang kalikasan. Hindi natin papayagan ang mga ilegal na gawain na sumisira sa ating likas na yaman.”
This latest enforcement action forms part of the PNP’s broader campaign against environmental crimes under the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., reinforcing the commitment to a “Bagong PNP para sa Bagong Pilipinas.”
