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The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has called on the public to help protect migratory birds against bird hunters, as authorities captured six men who have been terrorizing the Candaba Swamp, a bird sanctuary in the province of Pampanga.
The men were captured by the police with two egrets by their “victims” during the hunt, according to the Provincial Office of Environment and Natural Resources of Pampanga (Penro).
In a press release, Laudemir S. Salac, head of Penro Pampanga, said that after receiving information from a concerned citizen that a group is hunting birds in the Candaba swamp, they immediately reported it to the police. Police arrested the men who they said were hunting birds with air rifles somewhere on Barangay Paligui in the city of Candaba.
“It is very clear that killing and destroying wildlife species is illegal and punishable against our wildlife law,” Salac said. “We will not tolerate this incident even during this pandemic to protect our migratory birds and other wildlife species, as they are a vital component of our environment.”
Candaba Philippine National Police (PNP) Lieutenant Colonel Efren David Jr. said they arrested the following: Jaime Buenaventura; Pablo Cunanan; Jose Carlo Dizon; Michael Gamos Vicente Pangan; and Rodrigo Canlas. David said they were all from Barangay San Joaquin in Santa Ana, Pampanga
David said that four units of air rifles, three pieces of carbon dioxide (CO2) tank, 37 pieces of compressed air pellets and two species of dead egrets were seized from the suspects.
The suspects were accused of violating Article 27 of the Republic Law (RA) 9147 or the Law of Protection and Conservation and Protection of Wildlife Resources of 2001. The men were also accused of violating the Ordinance Provincial 756 in relation to RA 11332 or the Mandatory Notification of Notifiable Diseases and the Health Events of Public Health Importance Law of 2018, for not using face masks.
If found guilty, the suspects can be jailed for up to six months and fined 100,000 pesos for violating the Wildlife Law.
Salac appealed to the public to report any illegal hunting and wildlife trade to the nearest DENR office in your area or contact DENR.
The great egret, scientifically named White sheep or also known as the little egret, it is a common migratory bird species in the Candaba swamp. They are also found in Africa, America, and southern Europe.
The Candaba Swamp has been identified as one of the three “most important wetlands” in the Philippines and has been consistently listed on the Bird Map of Asia as an important wintering ground for migratory birds. It is one of the Ramsar sites or wetlands of international importance in the country.
DENR records show that there are 54 resident bird species and 68 migratory birds recorded in the Candaba wetlands since 1940. Last year, more than 2,000 birds were recorded during the Asian waterfowl census.
