LIANGA, Surigao del Sur – Four masked men burned the house of a government forest ranger here early Thursday morning in what the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) officials believe was the handiwork of illegal loggers.

DENR regional director Charlie Fabre over the weekend visited the burned house of Patrick Angelia, a forest ranger assigned with the enforcement section of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) here.

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Angelia’s family was able to escape unhurt from the raging fire when they were awakened by the shouts and commotion of their neighbors.

Fabre said timber poachers “seemed to be trying to get even with the DENR for confiscating their stolen logs.”

He said a similar incident a decade ago happened when an irate timber poacher also shot and killed a forest ranger of CENRO Lianga. The killing was associated with relentless anti-illegal logging operation where the slain government worker participated in several raids of saw-mill plants.

Angelia said they lost all their personal belongings to the fire.

Fabre said from February to April this year, the DENR has been able to apprehend and confiscate about 6,000 logs in different areas in the region. SFM

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