BY MIKE U. CRISMUNDO
BUTUAN CITY – The regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) here called on police authorities on Friday to conduct a thorough investigation on the brutal killing of another forest officer in Agusan del Sur province.
DENR-13 Regional Executive Director (RED) Hadja Didaw Piang-Brahim condemned the murder of forest ranger Marianito G. Rufano, 39, saying the latter was only performing his duty to protect the forest in the area.
Piang-Brahim has requested the police to go after those behind the killing of Rufano.
“They must be arrested and charged in court,” he said.
She said the local environment and natural resources office in the province have been ordered to help in the police investigation.
In a report to Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy A. Cimatu and DENR Undersecretary for Field Operations, Enforcement, Mining and Muslim Affairs Jim O. Sampulna, Piang-Brahim said the victim was hauling confiscated forest products when flagged down by four armed men at Sitio Kiatsan, Barangay Bunawan Brook, Bunawan town, Agusan del Sur on Wednesday.
Earlier, the team of the anti-illegal logging task force of Bunawan Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENR) under CENR Officer Jerome Albia already seized more than 5,000 board feet of illegally cut lauan and other forest products in upper Bunawan Brook, particularly in Kiatsan area.
However, on Wednesday, when the team returned to haul the remaining illegally cut forest products, four unidentified armed men believed to be poachers stopped Rufano, who was riding a motorcycle, and stabbed him eight times in different parts of the body before shooting him to death.
Rufano’s team members were at a distance retrieving the illegally cut lumber when the attack occurred, according to the report.
“They were not able to react immediately. The suspects immediately fled after the incident,” DENR regional spokesperson Erik Gallego said.
Rufano was the second member of the DENR-13 enforcement team killed while on duty in Caraga region, DENR 13 record here said.
Last year, a member of the enforcement team of CENRO in Bislig City under CENR Officer Victor Sabornido, was also shot by two motorcycle-riding men. (Mike Crismundo)
