Pubdate: Fri, 03 Dec 2004 Source: Sunstar Davao (Philippines) Copyright: 2004 Sunstar Contact: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1991 Note: also listed for feedback Author: Nelson C. Bagaforo and Ben O. Tesiorna MAYOR: ILLEGAL LOGGERS TO BE TREATED LIKE PUSHERS DAVAO CITY -- Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is training his guns on illegal logging activities after hundreds of people were killed by flashfloods in Luzon brought about by rampant illegal logging activities in the country's largest island. Duterte Thursday said he would form a monitoring team to look into illegal logging activities in Davao City. He said apprehended illegal loggers would be treated the same way he treats a drug peddler, but he did not elaborate. Although he repeatedly denied it, Duterte has been tagged as the man behind the dreaded Davao Death Squad (DDS), a shadowy vigilante group believed to be responsible for the series of summary executions of drug suspects. This year alone, close to a hundred drug and theft suspects have been killed by motorcycle-riding men believed to be vigilantes. All these killings remain unsolved. Decades of illegal logging in Central Luzon have been blamed for the killer floods and landslides wrought by a powerful rainstorm and which killed more than 500 people. Tropical depression "Winnie," which hit most parts of Luzon shortly after a typhoon ravaged the same area last week, caused so much death and destruction because there was no forest cover to hold mudslides that washed away roads, bridges and submerged whole towns. Duterte said he would reward anybody who will be able to confiscate illegal logs in the city with half of the market price of each illegally cut logs. He said this way, authorities would be encouraged to do their jobs better. The city mayor made the declaration during Thursday's year-end meeting of the joint Regional and City Peace and Order Council at Grand Men Seng Hotel. Duterte said he had a talk with Local Government Sec. Angelo Reyes Thursday and he was told about the devastation the series of typhoons that hit Luzon made in the island. The mayor said the city will be donating P1 million as aid to typhoon victims. He also encouraged all the Dabawenyos to help in any way they can to alleviate the situation of the flood victims in Luzon. President Arroyo has already ordered the military and police to crack down on illegal logging, which has caused deforestation in the past decades and has been exacerbated by a rapidly growing population and urbanization. A recent US-funded project concluded that the Philippines was losing more than 100,000 hectares of forest every year. Other experts say less than three percent of the country's primary forest remains intact. "Illegal logging must now be placed in the order of most serious crimes against our people," Arroyo said in a statement. "The series of landslides and flashfloods that hit several parts of the country should serve as a wake-up call for us to join hands in preserving and stepping up reforestation." - ---