EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Seizure of Seventy-Three (73) Container Vans in North Harbor Manila and Davao City

            On 27 June 2012, the Office of the NBI Officer-In-Charge received an email requesting for the confiscation of the load coming from Davao allegedly declared as cement while in fact is a lumber. Said email was forwarded to the Office of the Deputy Director for Regional Operations Services for its appropriate action.

           On the early morning of 28 June 2012, upon the instructions of ODDROS information was verified by NBI-NCR Operatives at Philippine Ports Authority Pier 16. Operatives were informed that no vessel from Davao bound for Manila is set to arrive that day and in fact they informed the Agents that a Lorenzo ship bound for Davao left Pier 16 at around 3:00 a.m. With such development, Agents requested from PPA personnel to issue a certification regarding the non-scheduled arrival of the vessels. Unfortunately, Operatives were informed that said PPA Sub-Office cannot issue any certification without any permission from the PPA Main Office, they were advised to secure permission from the PPA Main Office. Proceeding to the PPA Main Office, Operatives was informed that a vessel from Davao arrived at around 3:00 a.m. They requested for the copy of the Cargo Manifest (provided by PPA) it was examined and discovered that fifty five (55) container vans coming from Davao City were declared as cement. A written request for the holding and opening of said container vans was done with representatives from the Customs Collector of North Harbor, the Office of the DENR, and the PPA North Harbor. Operatives proceeded to Pier 16 and discovered that four (4) containers vans were about to leave as they were loaded in two (2) trucks lined with other trucks at the exit area of said Pier. Through proper coordination, said two (2) trucks were prevented from leaving the Pier. In the presence of DENR and PPA representatives, one of the container vans was opened and it was confirmed that it was loaded with lumber. Thereupon, Fifty Four (54) vans were opened and all were loaded with lumber.

            On 06 July 2012, the continuous probe of NBI Team headed by Deputy Director VIRGILIO L. MENDEZ, operatives were able to trace the loading area (Pasian, Monkayo, Compostela Valley), where the truckers load the illegally cut timbers and hauled these products to Davao City Port. In fact, undetermined number of illegal timber (‘Red Lawa-an’) were discovered in the same rebel-infested area where the loading of Lumber was done roughly a week before. Coordination with the DENR Regional Office was made. Upon the arrival of DENR Team Leader ORLNADO MANGUID, the illegally sourced forest products were properly turned-over.

           In the early morning of July 6, 2012, the team received a written request from the management of Lorenzo Container Yard in Davao City that their company is willing to cooperate into the on-going probe by the NBI. Consequently, Eighteen (18) 20-footer vans suspected to contain illegal timber were voluntarily opened by the DENR Reg. XI, Task Force against Illegal Logging and news reporter from the ABS-CBN in Davao.

            After ascertaining that these vans enclosed illegally harvested forest products, the DENR people inventoried and scaled the lumbers and the vans were relocked and resealed in the presence of NBI Team. Thereafter, the custody of all eighteen (18) vans was transferred to the DENR.

            The aggregate value of all seventy-Three (73) container vans is conservatively estimated to be over Twenty Million Pesos (Php20,000,000.00). This estimation excludes discovered in Monkayo, Compostela Valley.

 

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