LUCENA CITY, Quezon — Illegal lumber and timber confiscated from the Sierra Madre mountain ranges are being repurposed to repair public schools and government facilities, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) announced.
According to a report from the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Real, Quezon, the seized forest products are distributed to qualified beneficiaries through a formal Deed of Donation. This initiative ensures that the high-quality wood—often red lauan—is used for the public good rather than going to waste.
Beneficiaries and Impact:
- Schools: Recipients include Barangay Abiawin Elementary School, PiCaB Elementary School, Infanta National High School, and Binonoan Elementary School.
- Government Facilities: The timber has also been used to repair barangay police outposts and other municipal structures.
- Historical Reach: Since 2010, CENRO-Real has donated a total of 179,018.96 board feet (approximately 422 cubic meters) of confiscated lumber to various government agencies.
Anti-Illegal Logging Operations: The donation comes on the heels of recent enforcement actions. In February 2026, operatives intercepted 40 pieces of newly sawn lumber along the Agos River in General Nakar. Illegal loggers typically use the fast-flowing Agos River to transport logs from the mountains to downstream retrieval points.
Victor Ombajino, chief of CENRO-Real, stated that his office remains open to assisting other schools and government offices in need of construction materials. Interested parties must submit the necessary documentation to initiate the donation process.
The Sierra Madre remains a primary focus for the DENR, as it contains the largest remaining tract of old-growth tropical rainforest in the Philippines.