ILOILO City – The Police Regional Office 6’s (PRO-6) intensified crackdown on environmental crimes in March this year resulted in over 300 arrests and the seizure of millions of pesos worth of illegal lumber and fishing equipment across Western Visayas.
Under the leadership of Police Brigadier General Josefino Ligan, PRO-6 conducted nearly 300 separate operations targeting illegal logging and fishing activities from March 1 to 31.
Police executed 163 operations against illegal logging, leading to the arrest of 104 individuals. Authorities confiscated illegally sourced lumber valued at P599,036.27.
The Aklan Police Provincial Office (PPO) topped the list with 61 arrests, followed by Antique PPO with 36 and Capiz PPO with five.
In the campaign against illegal fishing, 113 operations resulted in the arrest of 223 individuals. While the value of the confiscated fish was estimated at P561,220, the value of seized fishing paraphernalia reached a staggering P28,278,500.
Antique PPO emerged as the most active unit in this category, conducting 48 operations and arresting 63 illegal fishers. Capiz PPO followed with 54 arrests from 12 operations, while Aklan PPO recorded 41 arrests across 33 operations.
Ligan attributed the successful month to strengthened coordination with local government units and active community reporting.
“These accomplishments reflect our firm commitment to safeguard our natural resources and ensure that violators are held accountable,” Ligan said. “Environmental protection remains a top priority of the Philippine National Police.”/PN
