Police officer in hot water
FOR CUTTING TREES
TAYUG – No trees can be cut without explicit permission from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, not even when the requesting party is a police officer and the trees are inside a police unit’s headquarters.
The community environment and natural resources officer of the DENR based in eastern Pangasinan, wrote Supt. Ruben Catabona, group director of the 107th Police Mobile Group in Tayug, about the violation and stands to be penalized for violating the law.
In her May 29, 2006 letter, Leduina Co, CENR officer, took Catabona to task for cutting 10 fully-matured Gmelina and mango trees inside the Camp Narciso Ramos, headquarters of the 107th PMG, even if his two letters to Co’s office seeking permission to cut those trees have not yet been acted upon.
Catabona wrote her office on May 2, 2006 and May 10, 2006 requesting permission to cut Gmelina and other matured trees inside the camp compound but proceeded to cut the trees without waiting for a go-signal from Co’s office.
Catabona’s action was in violation of existing forestry laws and regulations, particularly Sec. 3 of Presidential Decree No. 953.
If found guilty, the police officer stands to suffer fine and imprisonment of six months to one year. And as a government official/employee, he may be dismissed from the service and disqualified perpetually to hold public position.
Co said Supt. Catabona was properly advised of the procedure in the granting of a permit to cut trees by her office and was, therefore, dismayed and was aghast at finding the trees cut when she visited the camp last May 24, 2006.
In her letter to Catabona, Co wrote: “While we understand your good intention to beautify the surroundings of the camp, lapses have been committed in the observance of DENR policies, rules ands regulations.”
Even residents of the town were dismayed to see the more than 20-year old Gmelina and mango trees at Camp Narciso Ramos already cut down and went on to question the decision of Catabona to do them away.
She said Catabona was advised to wait for the result of the evaluation and recommendation of her superiors at the DENR.
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