The Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) reiterated its cooperation with the Bureau of Customs (BoC) concerning the loss of P3 million worth of elephant ivory tusks under its safekeeping last Feb. 26.

PAWB Director Dr. Theresa Mundita Lim belied reports that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has not yet responded to the Customs officials’ queries regarding the missing elephant tusks.

“We were never tight-lipped on this issue. We’ve been very transparent about this and the documents will  show it,” Lim said.

Lim insisted that the PAWB, an attached agency of the DENR, has properly communicated all developments and reports to concerned parties such as the Bureau of Customs (BoC), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and to DENR Secretary Horacio Ramos.

She also said they have submitted reports to the Tanzanian investigators who visited the country last week to take samples to determine the origin of the seized tusks.

Lim said they have informed BoC Commissioner Napoleon Morales about the missing elephant tusks even before the BoC sent a query addressed to the DENR chief last March 5.

She said that they have even informed Morales last March 3 about the arrival of the experts from Tanzania, as well as the lost elephant tusks.

The PAWB chief denied that the International Police of Dar-es-Salaam from Tanzania were dismayed and surprised that the confiscated elephant tusks were now missing from its storage at the PAWB compound