KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 13 February) – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Region 12 (DENR-12) has yet to file criminal charges against several vloggers in South Cotabato who allegedly hunted or trapped wild birds for content creation on social media, an official said Monday.
Khadija Benpolok, DENR-12 information officer, said the suspects from Barangay Danlag in Tampakan town will be facing charges for violation of Republic Act (RA) 9147 or the “Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act,” which prohibits the collection, hunting or possession of wildlife species.
“The last time I checked, our enforcement unit was still preparing the necessary charges against the vloggers,” she said in a phone interview.
On February 1, the DENR-12 Enforcement Division, Conservation and Development Division (CDD), Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office – South Cotabato and the City Environment and Natural Resources Office – General Santos, together with the local police, raided Barangay Danlag after receiving information from concerned residents about the vloggers’ activity.
Felix Alicer, DENR-12 executive director, earlier created a composite team to investigate the information that the vloggers allegedly hunted or trapped wild birds for content production shown on social media.
He lauded the tipsters for their information that led to the seizure of least 21 wildlife species from the residence of the vloggers and some of their neighbors.
Among those confiscated were a crested goshawk and several short-billed brown doves, which were turned over to the DENR-12 Regional Wildlife Rescue Center in Lutayan, Sultan Kudarat for proper care.
The seized wild birds have been released to their habitat in Tampakan town, Benpolok said.
DENR-12 officials did not identify the vloggers but the agency said in an earlier statement that the suspects’ social media channel has at least 22,000 subscribers.
MindaNews tracked Facebook page Dj Maru tv Official, which contains videos showing trapped or caged birds apparently caught in the mountains of Tampakan, host of the largest untapped copper and gold minefield in Southeast Asia.
Dj Maru tv Official’s linked YouTube account has 22,500 subscribers. The YouTube videos, however, have been taken down.
Benpolok said authorities have not caught any of the vloggers and other residents allegedly involved in the illegal wildlife hunting and trapping in the mountains of Tampakan.
“The vloggers and their cohorts may have been tipped by their neighbors before the raiding team could have arrived,” she added.
Engr. Mama Samaon , DENR-12 assistant regional director for technical services, earlier said that collection, hunting or possession of wildlife species is a criminal offense under RA 9147.
A violator faces an imprisonment of at least one month to four years and a fine of P5,000 to P300,000, depending on the classification of the wildlife species, the law stated.
Dirie Macabaning, DENR-12 enforcement division chief forester, urged the public to refrain from capturing any wildlife species.
“Let them live in their natural habitats,” he said. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
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