CATARMAN, Northern Samar, Philippines – A top House of Representatives official has declared his all-out support in the in the fight against the illegal cutting of trees in this province.

Deputy Speaker Raul Daza (Representative 1st district N. Samar) told reporters in a press conference here he is optimistic the illegal cutting of trees in his province will soon be placed under control especially with the creation of the composite Provincial Anti-illegal Logging Task Force (PALTF).

The task force is made up of personnel from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) , Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Army and other concerned private and government agencies.

Daza said he is very much concerned with the illegal cutting of trees because it is destroying the forest and the environment and cause flooding in his province.

He said Ranulfo Arbiol, the Northern Samar Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer, informed him that recently, 18,000 board feet of illegally cut lumber was apprehended by the authorities.

Daza said the campaign to curb illegal cutting in the province has been ineffective in the past years because of the laxity of law enforcers, lack of resources, lack of environmental personnel and loose coordination with the people in the communities.

He confirmed reports that illegal cutting of trees has been rampant in the towns of San Isidro, Las Navas, San Roque and Mondragon.

He estimated that more than half of the illegally cut lumber from the province are transported to other provinces like Masbate and Cebu and as far as Metro Manila, passing through the island municipalities of Biri and San Antonio which are used as transshipment points.