ZAMBOANGA CITY — Authorities recovered about 21,000 board feet of highly-valued sawn lumber worth of P1.7 million left abandoned by illegal loggers in the inner forested areas of Barangay Nabalawag, Barira in Maguindanao.

Naval Task Group-Central commander Col. Eric Macaambac said that soldiers and personnel from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao-Ministry of Environment Natural Resources and Energy seized the newly-sawn lumber in Sitio Bulubudtua.

The seized lumber has an approximate volume of 20,748 board feet and aside from the sawn lumbers, they also seized two units of chainsaws and one unit of heavy-duty bandsaws.

According to the BARMM-MENRE, there were no reports of any apprehension made during the illegal logging operations.

Macaambac said the lumber consisted of several highly valued forest trees, cut in different sizes and dimensions.

Marine troops from the Marine Battalion Landing Team-5 under the 1st Marine Brigade together with policemen of Barira Municipal Police Station and personnel of BARMM-Ministry of Public Order and Safety carried out the operations, which was in response to information that there is a rampant cutting of forest trees in Sitio Bulubudtua.

Authorities immediately formed a team to conduct a law enforcement operation in the village. The confiscated lumbers and logging equipment was temporarily kept at the compound of MBLT-5 in Barira.