Police, military tighten security in Simariki Island

POLICE AND military have tightened the security around a mangrove forest here after poachers attacked a patrolling forest ranger with a bolo.

City Government photo shows Mayor Beng Climaco preparing to feed the wounded forest ranger Edison Faustino Delos Reyes. The 42-year old civil employee was mauled and hacked with a bolo by three poachers he caught illegally cutting mangrove trees on May 17.

Mayor Beng Climaco, who visited the Edison Faustino Delos Reyes in the hospital, ordered authorities to step up security at the forest.

Delos Reyes was patrolling alone on May 17 when he chanced upon three men illegally cutting trees at the 150-hectare reservation area in Simariki Island which is part of Talon-Talon village. The trio quickly ganged up on Delos Reyes and hacked him in the head before escaping.

One of the attackers had been identified as Che Ganih and is now being hunted by the police, including his cohorts. 

Climaco has assured Delos Reyes of the local government support and assistance. She also lauded the courage and dedication of the Delos Reyes in securing the mangrove forest. “Por su amor al medio ambiente, esta protegiendo el manglar sin pensar en el peligro al que se enfrenta considerando el enorme bosque que esta resguardando,” she said. 

The mayor, accompanied by Col. Alexander Lorenzo, the city police chief; and Rey Gonzales, head of the Office of the Environment and Natural Resources, also inspected the mangrove area. 

Simariki Island is mostly surrounded by mangroves and sandbars, and a popular destination for picnickers because of its pristine beaches, cottages and fresh seafood. The island is also a bird sanctuary. 

Last year, Climaco ordered an investigation into the alleged exploitation of natives, including the Bajaus and Sama Bangingi, and the encroachment on their ancestral domain by unscrupulous individuals. She also called on the Department of Justice and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples to look into it after receiving reports that some people even managed to acquire land tiles from the indigenous people. 

She said the lands under ancestral domains are protected by the provisions of the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act, which recognizes IPs and their communities’ ownership over their ancestral domains and lands, to include sacred areas, culturally and historically significant sites, forests, water sources, and seas. (Zamboanga Post)