Personnel of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Bantay Dagat intercepted and seized P210,000 worth of unfinished pumpboats, with keels made of lauan, transported from Masbate to Sagay City in Negros Occidental for sale.

Cadiz CENR officer Edgardo Rostata also said yesterday that the confiscation was made after a week of monitoring the entry of illegal forest products in the coastal area of Sagay City, in coordination with the Sagay Marine Reserve Bantay Dagat operatives.

The alleged owners of the confiscated unfinished pumpboats, that were towed by another pumpboat, were identified by DENR as Edgardo Meguillo, Narciso Brigonyas and Alex Nunez, all residents of Pio Corpuz town in Masbate.

Rostata, however, said that an owner of the towing pumpboat identified as Ricardo Santiago Jr. managed to escape.

Investigations by the Cadiz CENR office showed that the three unfinished pumpboats were about to be sold in Sagay City, when they were confiscated.

The arrested suspects are now in the Sagay City police jail, and charges will be filed against them today for violation of Section 77 of PD 705, or the Forestry Code of the Philippines,and Section 70 of RA 7586, also known as the National Integrated Protected Area Systems Act, Rostata said.

Recently, Cadiz CENRO operatives also seized P79,000 worth of undocumented forest products from Juvie Sarona in Brgy. Bug-ang, Toboso.* GPB

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