ELEMENTS of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police have seized hundreds of pieces of illegal logs, the first major hit this year since the military took over the lead role in the government’s anti-illegal logging operations from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Lt. Col. Eugenio Julio Osias 4th, spokesman of the Fourth Infantry Division, on Thursday said that the 212 pieces of highly priced lauan logs were intercepted the other day by a joint team of the Third Special Force Battalion and the local police in Barangay Mahogany, Butuan City.

The confiscated logs were turned-over to the Environment department in Butuan for proper disposal.

According to Osias, the illegal logs were discovered by local residents, who immediately reported it to the authorities.

However, Osias said that the military and police elements caught none of the illegal loggers in the follow-up operation

Lt. Col. Potenciano Camba, commander of the Third Special Forces, warned the illegal loggers that there would be no let up in their campaign.

“I again warned the illegal loggers that we will not tolerate this destruction of our natural resources, we will hunt you down and you better stop before it is too late,” he said.

“We will double our efforts in supporting the campaign against illegal logging. We may not be able to prevent the cutting of these trees but this will served as warning to those responsible to stop their illegal activities,” Camba added.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council has blamed illegal logging and mining as the principal causes of the recent destructive flash floods spawned by typhoon Pablo (international codename: Bopha) that washed out several municipalities in the provinces of Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental.

There are at least 31 known illegal logging “hot spots” in Mindanao that include the Caraga and Davao Regions in northern Mindanao, all under the jurisdiction of the fourth infantry.

President Benigno Aquino 3rd earlier issued Executive Order 23, declaring a moratorium on the cutting and harvesting of timber in the natural and residual forests and creating the Anti-illegal Logging Task Force.

The task force is chaired by Environment Secretary Ramon Paje, with the secretaries of the Department of the Interior and Local Government and Department of National Defense, and the chiefs of the Armed Forces and the National Police, as members.

But because of the presence of insurgents and armed groups employed by illegal loggers, the task force group came out with Resolution 2012-005, converting the anti-illegal logging operations in Mindanao from a civilian to an active military operation.

At least 25 personnel and agents/partners of the environmental body have been killed in anti-illegal logging operations since the implementation of executive order.