BALER, Aurora. — A member of the provincial council blamed local police for the rampant illegal logging inside the 5,676-hectare Aurora Memorial National Park (AMNP).

Board member Mariano Tangson on Tuesday said illegal loggers have invaded the park without being detected by the police and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources which have a detachment and a sub-office, respectively, in Sitio Dimani, Barangay Villa.

Barangay Villa has become notorious after flash floods, traceable to illegal logging, destroyed a steel bridge and killed 13 people in 2004.

On Monday night, authorities recovered 1,000 board feet of abandoned logs at Dimani. Two weeks ago, a truckload of logs fell on its side because it was heavy with logs, also in Dimani.

Illegal logging was also blamed for the two-day brownout which struck Ma. Aurora town over the weekend when cut logs fell into power lines Saturday.

Tangson, a former three-term mayor of San Luis town, said the PNP appears helpless in stopping logging at the park. The Sangguniang Panlalawigan earlier summoned PNP provincial director, Senior Supt. Romeo Teope and DENR and barangay officials to discuss the problem.

"It’s so brazen, it’s an eyesore that in Aurora, vehicles loaded with illegal logs pass through the checkpoint of the DENR and the PNP and they don’t see it. I don’t know if they don’t see it or they are playing blind to what is happening," he said.

Last month, Tangson revealed in a privilege speech that an average of 70,000 to 80,000 board feet of illegal logs is being spirited out of the park monthly and loaded in "kolong kolongs (tricycles) during nighttime. Citing unnamed sources, he said around 130 illegal loggers are involved in the massive destruction of forest resources inside the park.

Teope pointed out that illegal loggers at the park are heavily armed and the police force needs to be augmented to form a united front against the loggers. "If you have only a few bodies to man the park, it’s like feeding them to the wolves," he said.

Tangson, however, pointed out that illegal logging became worse when Teope took over form Senior Supt. Teodoro Saclolo. He said that before Teope became provincial director, only three policemen guarded Dimani yet illegal logging was kept to a minimum.

Teope denied that police have been remiss in protecting the park. He said his men have seized at least 10,000 board feet of illegal logs and sacks of charcoal in eight separate operations since January. "Katakot-takot iyong accomplishments namin against illegal logging kaya iyong sinasabing wala kaming ginagawa, hindi ko matatanggap."

Teope said the campaign against illegal logging would only succeed if barangay folks would help the police. "We must not depend only on the police to do the job. We have to work together," he said.