A municipal judge in Mati City, Davao Oriental, recently convicted two illegal wildlife traders to four years in prison and a fine of P30,000.
The decision was hailed by Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu as “yet another corroboration of the agency’s unyielding mission of protecting the country from illegal wildlife trade.”
The decision was penned by Presiding Judge Semiramis Bituin Castro l, sentencing Jomar Lumakore Toledo and Rompas Manindig Lumakore to jail terms for violating Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001.
The two convicts were arrested during a raid by authorities led by the DENR. The operation led to the rescue of wildlife species worth around P50 million in Mati City last April.