CABANATUAN CITY
– A syndicate engaged in llegal logging
in identified “hot spots” in Nueva Ecija has been tagged for the twin
assassination attempts on a forester of the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources in the province.
Leovino Ignacio, DENR provincial DENR provincial environment and natural
resources officer, said a syndicate operating in Bongabon town could be behind
the gun attack on Edgardo Luna.
De Luna, 49, of Barangay Bantug Bulalo
here suffered a gunshot wound at the back of his neck after he was shot by a
motorcycle-riding gunman Friday at Purok Camalig, Barangay Bangad.
De Luna was driving his motorcycle on
his way home when shot from close range by the gunman who was riding in tandem
with a companion.
It was the second slay attempt on De
Luna who was also shot by a lone gunman on May 23 by a gunman while he was
aboard a XLT passenger jeep in Barangay Bitas also in this city.
Ignacio said De Luna may have angered
members of the syndicate operating in Bongabon town following a series of
successful anti-illegal logging operations there.
“This
is a big syndicate,” he said, adding many were hurt by the DENR’s campaign
against illegal logging of which De Luna is in the forefront, particularly in Bongabon.
Ignacio said the intensified campaign
against illegal loggers was earlier ordered by DENR regional executive director
Maximo Dichoso targeting Bongabon and the other “hot spots” such as the towns of Carranglan, Gabaldon, Gen. Tinio, Laur and
Pantabangan.
Earlier, De Luna led a DENR team in
confiscating 1,000 board feet of wood from the owner of a furniture shop in
Barangay Antipolo in Bongabon.
Ignacio
called on local government officials in the “hot spots” areas to help out in
the anti-illegal logging campaign. “If they would just help us, I see no reason
why our campaign won’t succeed,” he said.
Juan
Fernandez Jr., DENR community environment and natural resources officer for
central Nueva Ecija based in Talavera town has asked Ignacio to arm forest
rangers in their fight against illegal loggers. (Manny Galvez)
