Environment officials filed charges before the Department of Justice against the farm manager of billionaire Beatriz Zobel de Ayala in Palawan province for alleged cutting of a native tree and unlawful occupation of forest lands within the Malampaya Sound Protected Landscape and Seascape.
The Community Environment and Natural Resources Office filed the charges against farm manager Stephen John Zaragosa and three others who were manning the structures built by the group of Zobel de Ayala in Sitio Maypa, Barangay Pancol, Taytay, Palawan.
Zaragosa, along with Cirilo Ledesma, Nicasio Ledesma and Mario Caahay were named in the complaint for alleged violation of Sections 77 and 78 of Presidential Decree No. 705, as amended, or the Revised Forestry Code of the Philippines.
Environment officials led by MSPLS Protected Area Superintendent Clarissa Pador and CENRO Officer Alan Valle earlier investigated reports that the group of Zobel de Ayala erected structures in the marine protected area.
DENR Mimaropa Regional Executive Director Lourdes Ferrer said that: "Pursuant to our office's existing procedures, specifically DENR Administrative Order No. 1997-32, Pador has conducted the necessary adjudication proceedings regarding the illegal cutting of a Bangar tree, and the CENRO of Taytay, Palawan has already filed a complaint for violation of Sections 77 and 78 of PD No. 705 against those who were positively identified by witnesses in the area".
Section 77 of PD 705 imposes penalty for the crime of cutting, gathering and/or collecting timber or other forest products without license. It provides that any person who shall cut, gather, collect, remove timber or other forest products from any forest land, or timber from alienable or disposable public land, or from private land, without any authority, or possess timber or other forest products without the legal documents as required under existing forest laws and regulations, shall be punished with the penalties imposed under Articles 309 and 310 of the Revised Penal Code.
Meanwhile, Section 78 of the same law imposes penalties for unlawful occupation or destruction of forest lands and grazing lands.
A monitoring team from DENR earlier found two structures in the area being claimed by Zobel de Ayala. The structures are made of light materials with cement post, a parking area made of metal frame, bamboo gate with metal frame and a developed backyard garden.
The area is a portion of Lot 1247 and 3556, CAD 841-D and within the timberland and Malampaya Sound Protected Landscape and Seascape. MSPLS is a marine protected area which covers 200,115 hectares of both aquatic and terrestrial environment with diverse ecosystems in Palawan.
Puerto Princesa City-Environmental Legal Assistance Center Inc. asked the DENR to dig deeper into the alleged use and occupation of untitled lands in the area.